By Mama A Touray
Members of the Female Lawyers Association of The Gambia and Judiciary officials Thursday discussed laws related to rights of women and children.
The conference was held in Bakau.
Speaking at the forum, Chief Justice Hassan B Jallow said the judiciary has ratified and domesticated some laws into major international conventions.
“For the judiciary the critical appraisal of the court’s judgement has really led to the growth and development of the law in the area of welfare and social care and protection at many levels. There is an increment in the number of children’s courts with three courts situated at Kanifing, Brikama and Basse and there is potential to have three more children’s courts established in every region in the country,” he said.
According to him, these developments would not have been possible without the assurance and political will of the government of The Gambia, adding “the judiciary recognizes the priority accorded to women and children as part as part of the national development agenda.”
Anna Njie, FLAG president said: “the natural human rights of women and children are most importantly and foremost provided for in the supreme law of this land in section 28 and 29 of the 1997 constitution, The UN Convention on the Elimination of all form of Discriminations against women (CEDAW) the protocol of the African Charter on Human and people’s rights on the rights of women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) and the convention on the rights of children respectively.”
“The Female Lawyers Association Gambia has in various ways been actively engaged in the provision of pro bono legal services to women and children in The Gambia. However, in the early 2000s, inspiration was drawn from sister commonwealth countries as Kenya and Ghana for the settling up of the Female Lawyer’s Association,” she added.
She highlighted the objective of FLAG saying they lobby for general equality in The Gambia through legislative reforms, public education and advocacy, to enhance and promote the welfare and legal status of women and children and to promote principles and aims of the United Nations and the African Union.
“United Nations International Children Emergency Fund representative said “Recognizing the government as a primary duty bearer for the realization of children’s right UNICEF will continue to support the strengthening of national justice system in The Gambia including law and positive reform and positive strengthening of the justice system and to protect children across criminal, civil and administer justice to the rule of law.
“UNICEF will continue supporting the legal empowerment of children as well as support for child vacancy providers and witnessing. The national human rights commission will be looking at some of the recommendations of the truth reconciliation and reparations commission which include children, women and families that witness the difficult situation and made it stronger to have justice it requires even stronger government actions,” she added.
“Embedding child friendly and gender sensitive processes and procedures and strengthening the cooperation between the justice sector and overall justice system to respond to violence, abuse and exploitation of children you not alone and you will not act alone in this national and local charges of criminal justice are fundamental to ensure that we progressively have a situation where we minimize and prevent the involvement in children in situations” she added.