TRAINING AND INFORMATION CAMPAIGN ON THE ... - Fokus

In the absence of anti-FGM legislation, up to the present, attempts have been made to bring charges
under existing assault laws when girls have been circumcised against their wishes and those of their
families, so far unsuccessfully. GAMCOTRAP submitted a draft of areas for inclusion in law reform on
women’s rights, including FGM, in 2008, after a request by the Law Reform Commission, and became
involved as advocates in the Awa Nget case (Asemota, 2002a, 2002b) with the help of funds raised
through the Urgent Action Fund through Equality Now’s Africa Region.
Anti-FGM work has at times been considered highly controversial in The Gambia. In 1997, the thennewly
elected Gambian government issued a decree which banned the broadcasting on state radio and
TV (the only TV station in the country was controlled by the government) of any programs “which either
seemingly oppose female genital mutilation or tend to portray medical hazards about the practice.” This
information came to the public in 1997 when Dr. Isatou Touray was conducting a gender class for media
practitioners and issues of traditional practices were discussed in order to create awareness amongst
media practitioners.
It was during this class that a media directive dated 17 th May 1997 banning any form of advocacy
against female genital mutilation on national radio or television was accessed. GAMCOTRAP responded
to the directive by making a clarion call to the President of the Republic in an open letter dated 27 th
May 1997. After massive protests – from in particular GAMCOTRAP, aided by an international letterwriting
campaign organized by New York-based Equality Now – the decree was lifted, although with so
little publicity that many people are still unclear on what is and is not legal to broadcast.
Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy, herself a women’s rights activist who has previously been involved in
the campaign against FGM, was later quoted as stating that the government’s policy will be to “discourage
such harmful practices,” and that NGOs will not be prevented from working against the practice (Forward
with The Gambia newsletter July 7, 1997). Head of State President Colonel (Retired) Yaya Jammeh, in his
annual address marking the 1994 July 22 military take-over, clarified the government’s position as being
opposed to FGM, but stressed that any campaign must be conducted in a culturally sensitive manner.
Yet, later he issued a statement that activists “cannot be guaranteed that after delivering their speeches,
they will return to their homes” (Observer newspaper, January 25, 1999).
GAMCOTRAP
Organization
GAMCOTRAP was established in 1984 as the Gambian chapter of the Inter Africa Committee.
It is an NGO, with non-profit status, registered with the NGO Affairs Agency and The Association
for Non-Governmental Organizations (TANGO), an umbrella organization that registers, monitors,
and supports Gambian NGOs . GAMCOTRAP has a General Assembly, Board of Directors, and
Executive Committee. The General Assembly is the supreme organ of GAMCOTRAP and is composed
of the representatives of communities and all other affiliates. The elected Board of Directors includes
a President, Vice President, and Treasurer, as well as other individuals with varied expertise relevant
to GAMCOTRAP’s work. Like all NGOs registered by TANGO, GAMCOTRAP has a Constitution,
Action Plan, and Guiding Principles, and has been registered under the Company Act as a Charity with
the Attorney General’s Chambers.
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