NGBV, AATTG hold anti-FGM advocacy workshop

By Juldeh Njie The Network against Gender Base violence (NGBV) in partnership with Action Aid The Gambia (AATTG) yesterday held a day-long validation workshop on advocacy and communication strategy for the eradication of FGM at Action Aid conference hall in Kanifing. The project is also aimed at protecting sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls in The Gambia. According to the organisers, the validation exercise will provide a unique interactive platform between the different players to discuss options for coordination and integration to re-evaluate the public information capacities in order to enhance communication as part of the activities in 2016 in which a draft advocacy and communication strategic was developed to guide NGBV activities. In her opening remarks, chairperson of the executive committee, NGBV, Marie Antoinette Corr said: “The draft developed so far proposes compelling actions, activities and informative public information products aimed at supporting, enhancing and publicizing the efforts of the Network and also to contribute to the reduction of incidences of sexual violence in the Gambia.” Whiles thanking Njungu Drammeh for being behind the successes that the network has registered during the past years, she said: “We have more means to communicate than before in human history but without a strategy, we would be engaging in a wasteful and ineffective exercise”. According to her, exchange of views will lead to a share understanding of the network and more importantly the respective roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved in its implementation. Sekou Omar Dibba, a consultant who doubles as the lead facilitator said the process involved network members to develop a strategy of content specialist who knows the subject matter. “We are here to address one of the many challenges we are faced with in this country, and one of the social and economy challenges, abuse of rights in the country, so collectively we have a responsibility about women and girls against this abuse including gender base violence,” he said. He continued: “We are here to aid actions for communities and people so voluntarily our focus is addressing one of the unmet needs of women and girls in this country. The need for their rights to be protected with emphasis on sexual health and it is not practical impossible to address or promote the rights of children and women having a robust communication and advocacy strategy”. Also speaking at the event, executive director action aid the Gambia, Omar Badjie, expressed delight to per take in the event and commended NGBV for their good work. “We have an opportunity to make sure we are making demands and creating space to show our agenda to the new government. Adding that the job they are doing is very crucial and critical to fight violence against women and children which is not only looking at physical violence but any form of violence”, he noted.]]>