Jainaba Fatty, the fourth defence witness in the Gamcotrap case, recently testified in the trial involving Gamcotrap executive director Dr Isatou Touray, and Gamcotrap programme coordinator Amie Bojang-Sissoho, at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court, before Principal Magistrate Ade Taiwo Alagbe.
The two women rights activists were alleged to have in 2009, in
Ms Fatty, a resident of Brikama-Ba, told the court she worked for Gamcotrap as community-based facilitator in the Central River Region for nearly 20 years.
She posited that as community-based facilitator, she used to teach the women circumcisers based in CRR, as well as babies-bearing women about the harmful practice and the impact of FGM.
The witness noted that part of her role, was also to facilitate necessary information between Gamcotrap and women circumcisers.
She said she knew Yallocamba based in
Ms Fatty said she happened to meet their two counterparts when they came to visit their work, which was her first time to meet them.
She said that The AEO was part of the project helping women circumcisers to change from engaging in of circumcision, after they had agreed to drop the knife.
The witness further told the court that about 36 circumcisers in CRR had agreed to drop their knives.
Gamcotrap then decided to allocate D3,000 to each circumciser as well as bought ‘ashobis’ for them and their alkalous and women leaders towards the celebration of the dropping of the knife.
She added that fuel for the distribution of the ashobi materials also came from the money specified for Alternative Employment Opportunity (AEO).
Under cross-examination, the prosecutor put it to the witness that all what she said before the court was not true because there was a budget allocated for them in that project, she said, adding that she came to court to defend her two bosses.
In response, Ms Fatty told the court she said “nothing but the truth”.
The case was then adjourned till 12 June 2012.
