National
Youth Council (NYC), last Saturday held a breakfast meeting with youth
organisations, partners on Female Genital Mutilation/Circumcision (FGM/C),
child marriage and teenage pregnancy (Never Again in my Generation).
Held
at Sunshine Restaurant in Pipeline, the meeting was supported by the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Lamin
Darboe, National Youth Council Executive Director said youth organisations are
central in their work especially when it comes to health issues. He added that the platform was to give them a
chance to collectively discuss on what they have been doing as individuals and
collective organisations with regards to FGM/C, child marriage and teenage
pregnancy.
Mr
Darboe highlighted that National Assembly Members need accurate information
from the people to better represent them, saying that they want to influence
the law of the country but cannot do it directly because they are not
parliamentarians.
“Our
opportunity is to talk to our parliamentarians directly and give them adequate
information to better do their work on our behalf,” he went on.
He
said they have their own perceptions and concerns beyond the formal settings
and can find answers, saying over 58 percent of women in the country are young
and need to be protected.
Bintou
HK Fatty of Women’s Bureau highlighted that organisations coordination with
regards to the fight against FGM/C, child marriage and teenage pregnancy is
limited in the country.
She
added that all citizens should be watchdogs to report issues of FGM/C, child
marriage and teenage pregnancy as government cannot be everywhere.
Momodou
Lamin Jarjusey of He For She urged the government to set examples of those
found wanting of the practice to ensure other desist from it.
Mberry
Sonko of NYC said people need strong political will, government coordination,
shared best practices and religious scholars to come clear as to whether the
practice of FGM/C is religious or not.
Ebrima
Njie of Beakanyang said CSOs need a manual guide and qualified health workers
to communicate to women on the effect of the practice to ensure they abandon
it.
Aminata
Jaiteh of The Girls Agenda said to end the practice, CSOs need the trust of the
society to communicate well.
