President
Adama Barrow has said his government is out to ensure the survival, protection
and development of children in The Gambia.
He
also said all Gambian children ‘must’ go to school.
He
was addressing the nation on Saturday during his inauguration and the
celebration of Gambia’s 52nd independence anniversary, held at the Independence
Stadium in Bakau.
President
Barrow said his government would ensure the survival, protection and
development of all children in The Gambia.
The
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was charged with the responsibility of
doing an inventory of the hospitals in the country, in order to determine the
input necessary to upgrade the health centres.
The
health services are also to ensure a staff audit in order to identify concerns
and develop programmes to ensure staff motivation.
The
government would seek to partner with ECOWAS, the AU, the UN and other
traditional development partners like the US, EU, the UK and new development
partners to improve on infant mortality and maternal health.
“This
is aimed to improve their well-being and reduce mortality. We will work to
improve nutrition, sanitation, access to clean drinking water and ensure that
primary health care is accessible and affordable to all rural and urban
centres,” he said.
He
added: “The law of the land is such that basic education shall be free,
accessible and compulsory. All Gambian children must go to school. The Gambia
under my presidency will respect the dictates of the constitution and work with
our development partners to make free education a reality,” he said.
According
to UNICEF, the main child protection issues in The Gambia are sexual abuse and
exploitation of children.
Female
children and adolescents are the most exposed to sexual abuse by adult men,
called ‘Sugar Daddies’ while in the tourism industry, the sexual exploitation
of children by tourist remains a continual challenge.
Harmful
traditional practices such as FGM/C and early marriage, the Gambia’s 2010
Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) revealed a 76 per cent prevalence rate
for FGM/C nationally with rates as high as 99 per cent in some regions and
among some ethnic groups, thus exposing affected girls and women to both
physical and psychological trauma.
The
MICS also indicated that 8.6 per cent of women aged 15-49 who were married or
in union actually got married before their 15th birthday while 46.5 per cent
were married or in union before they turned 18 years. Early marriage is one of
the contributing factors of school dropout for girls and the continued cycle of
poverty in poor communities.
Violence
against children: Referring mainly to
corporal punishment at school, a limited study commissioned by the Child
Protection Alliance with support from Save the Children Sweden on corporal
punishment in schools (Tang, J. 2005), revealed that children are being
corporally punished at home and school, mostly by caning.
The
MICS 2010 shows that over 90.3 per cent of children ages 2-14 years were
subjected to at least one form of psychological or physical punishment, while
18 per cent were severely punished, physically.
At least half of those punished sustained
injuries such as bruises. Changing the attitude of parents is a priority for
the country programme as 38.9 per cent of mothers/caregivers believed that
children should be physically punished.
Children
living and/or working on the streets: These comprise predominantly of children
who have been sent off to acquire informal religious education from religious
scholars and are often known as almudos (or talibes in Senegal).
Among
street children are also runaways. Such children are continuously exposed to
not only sexual abuse and exploitation, but other forms of violence like
corporal punishment and exploitative child labour, including street begging.
They are also at risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.
Orphans
and other vulnerable children due to HIV/AIDS (OVC): Although the HIV
prevalence rate in The Gambia is relatively low, at 1.9 (DHS, 2013), there is a
small but growing number of OVCs.
Non-registration
of births for children under five years: According to MICSIV (2010), only 52.5
per cent of children under five had their births registered.
Birth
registration is the first formal recognition of the child’s existence by the
State and a birth certificate is a child’s ticket to citizenship. It entitles a
child to a passport and Voter’s card. Birth certificate enables a child to
prove his/her age when in conflict or contact with the law. Children whose
births are not registered are more likely to be targeted by traffickers.
Children
in conflict with the law: While the number of children in detention is
relatively low, anecdotal evidence shows a growing level of criminal behaviour
by young people. There is no functioning probation service and no separate
facility for girls who receive a custodial sentence.
There
are three Children’s courts situated strategically around the country.
Baby
abandonment: Newborns are often abandoned by their mothers for a variety of
social, cultural and economic reasons, including poverty and the stigma
associated with having a child out of wedlock, as well as through infidelity
while her husband is away.
