The national coordinator for Network against Gender Based Violence in The Gambia has said Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) stands at 75% prevalent rate in the country.
Haddy Mboge Barrow told journalists during the observing of sixteen days of activism against gender based violence at Child Fund conference hall, adding most controversial forms of gender based violence in the Gambia is FGM.
Ms Mboge said: “Research on obstetric outcome of FGM among women in labor in the Gambia was 1,569 women were recruited into the study shows that 77% had FGM cutting.”
Meanwhile, she added that: “Child marriage has 41% prevalence rate among women age 20-40 according to the UNICEF Multiple Indicators cluster survey in 2010.”
She however blamed the community for being silence over the practice of violence against women in the country, and said 2013 DHS in The Gambia revealed that 41% of the women age 15-49 experienced physical violence.
According to her, five per cent of women age 15- 49 are reported to experience sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.
She said: “Overall about one in four ever- married women 26% of them had been reported having experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence from their spouse. Among ever-married women who had experienced spouse violence either sexual or physical violence in the past twelve month prior to the study 24% reported experiencing physical injuries.”
She assured the network’s determination to crusade in joining the world to observed 16 days of activism to amplify the voices of diverse women’s groups, Civil Society Organization to prevent violence and discrimination against women and girls in this country.
The national coordinator said they will advocate for changes in the policies and enforcement of laws to promote gender equality, equity and sexual violence across the country.
She further called on government to commit funds for the domestic violence support fund established section 9 of the domestic violence act 2013 and the funds for victims of trafficking established by section 58 of the trafficking in person.
Author: Sulayman Waan & Fatoumatta Gassama