One Billion Rising for Justice: An Invitation to Break Pain

Dr Touray flanked on the Left  by Amie Bojang

 14 February globally, is valentine day; a day when lovers renew their love, commitment but this year women and men in The Gambia will rise together in the largest day of mass action ever to rise for justice.

Children, youth, women and men from all walks of life including people with disabilities, are joining the global determination to end the multiple violence’s, a globally coordinated campaign aimed to call to an end of violence against women and girls, according to GAMCOTRAP, a leading women’s rights organization in country.

Thousands of One Billion Rising for Justice Events will take place throughout the world. These events are organized and produced by local activists. It’s the day of synchronized action when one billion people in 207 countries will rise for justice.

BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is a global call to women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in community outside places where they are entitled to justice – courthouses, police stations, government offices, school administration buildings, work places, sites of environmental injustice, military courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places where women deserve to feel safe but too often do not. 

Teachers Resolved to Join in the Fight against FGM

Dr. Isatou Touray

After concluding a day training on Monday, teachers has resolved to join, GAMCOTRAP, a women’s rights advocacy group to educated children on the effects of FGM.

The event brought together 25 from various schools in the West Coast Region. The project, from a health-based to a right-based approach fighting against Female Genital Mutilation seeks to introduced module on FGM and child’s rights for grade 4-9 basic and secondary education sector hopefully next year . It is funded by Save the Children International.

The modules on FGM are meant to contribute to efforts by the education sector to promote gender equality and development as part of overall policy to promote girls’ education.

Gamcotrap, have over the years been very active and effective in the promotion of women and children’s rights. Gamcotrap's agenda is to end discriminatory practices like FGM and early marriage and ha trained hundreds of teachers over the years.

 Prior to the training, majority of the teachers admitted that they are not aware that the Gambia is a signatory to the Maputo protocol, convention of the right of the child and the CEDAW.

Gamcotrap has signed a MOU with Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, (MoBSE) in 2007 and renewed it in 2009.