PHOTO: NGBV 

NGBV to Embark on 16 Days Activism on Sexual Violence

                                       

By Ousman A. Marong

            

The Network of Gender-Based Violence (NGBV) in partnership with the United Nations Development Fund (NNDF) will join the rest of the world to commemorate International Day to eradicate violence against women.

NGBV would embark on a 16 Days nationwide activism on November 2019.

This year’s nationwide activism campaign theme: would be "Ending Sexual Violence in World Places.”

Speaking at a press briefing held at Action Aid Secretariat Fallu Sowe, National Coordinator for Gender-Based Violence said the aim of the campaign is to harmonize efforts to end all forms of sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the country.

‘’The theme reflects the core principle of the transformative 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and reinforces the UN Women Campaign commitment to a world free from violence for all women and girls,” he remarked.

He decried that Gender-Based Violence against women is becoming frequent in all societal strata, while urging key drivers to take stringent measures towards eliminating the practice.

‘’NGBV would like to seize this opportunity to remind the government, and its people that The Gambia is a signatory to many international and regional Treaties and conventions that protect women and children from all forms of violence, such as the Convention on the Rights of the child,” he asserted.

He said these treaties were ratified and domesticated into our laws.

He stated the Women’s Act 2010, the Children’s Act 2005, the Domestic Violence Act 2013, and the Sexual Offences Act 2013 prohibits all forms of violence and abuse against women, children including the girl child.

He highlighted that domestic and sexual violence including criminalizing FGM and child marriage are in a there alarming rate.

He said the 2014 CBV data collection shows that there is increase number in sexual violence reported cases.

He computed 2,030 reported cases of sexual violence to be registered between the years 2014-2018 respectively.  

“There were 941 cases in 2018 alone and 46 percent of the cases were sexual violence,” he noted.