National Human Rights Commission has said many girls in Gambia continue to face Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage despite ban on it by law.
“In The Gambia, a focus on adolescent girls is not just timely but crucial. For instance, numerous rape cases, sexual abuse and other forms of gender-based violence have been reported over the course of 2020.
“Additionally, despite the legal prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage, many girls continue to face these and other forms of discrimination, violence and exploitation in their communities.
“The continuous rights violations, abuse, discrimination and violence faced by adolescent girls are consistent with the United Nations (UN) findings that despite significant gains over the years, many of the commitments made to girls are left unfulfilled,” the commission said in a statement.