By Olimatou Coker
The Gambia Reparations Commission, in partnership with the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and the Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations (AVLO), has launched a nationwide capacity-building programme to strengthen women victims’ access to gender-sensitive reparations.
The seven-day programme, running September 14-20, 2026, is supported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) and will reach approximately 300 women victims across five regions — West Coast, North Bank, Lower River, Central River and Upper River.
The initiative is designed to enhance women victims’ understanding of reparations, their rights, and how they can meaningfully participate in the process.
The training provides in-depth information on the mandate and work of the Reparations Commission, with particular emphasis on gender-sensitive and gender-responsive approaches.
Organisers said the programme comes amid growing recognition of the unique barriers women victims face —stigma, economic dependence, limited access to information, fear of retaliation, and cultural constraints.
The training will examine these challenges head-on and outline concrete measures being taken by the Commission, drawing on best practices from other transitional justice contexts.
The outreach will also serve as a critical identification exercise to find eligible women victims who have not yet registered and provide immediate support to register.
“The training will use inclusive and participatory approaches, including group discussions, storytelling, role plays, visual aids and explanations in local languages. These methods are intended to create a safe and accessible environment where participants can share their experiences, identify barriers and make recommendations for improving the reparations process,” the Commission stated.
Through these engagements, women victims will not be passive listeners they will directly shape how reparations can become more accessible.
The partners reaffirmed their joint commitment to ensuring The Gambia’s reparations process is accessible, gender-sensitive, gender-responsive, and victim-led.
The TRRC documented widespread violations against women sexual violence, torture, arbitrary detention, loss of livelihoods under the former regime. Many suffered in silence.