Religious leaders, others edified on violence against women

At least fifty religious leaders, thirty traditional communicators and thirty peer health educators Tuesday benefited from one-day training on violence against women and girls.

The training, organised by the Gambia Red Cross Society Western Region branch, in collaboration with TARRUD, was held at the Gambia Red Cross office in Brikama.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the training funded by ActionAid The Gambia, the Western Region Red Cross branch officer, Lamin Fatty, said the training aimed at discussing issues affecting people, especially women and girls, in their everyday life and at finding possible solutions to them.

Mr Fatty stated further that the training was also geared towards building the capacity of the participants, who will sensitise the masses in their various mosques through preaching during Friday prayers on issues affecting women and girls in the society.

"The training also seeks to capacitise the various categories of participants who will in turn pass the message to the grassroots level for people to respect women and stop violence against women and girls in our society," he said, adding that respect for and violence against women and girls are some of the issues that prompted the Red Cross to come up with the sensitization programme.

Mr Fatty, who called on parents to properly control their female children, said: "There is need for more attitudinal change."