Thirty participants including the police, social workers and nurses are attending a three-day workshop on gender-based violence at the conference hall of the National Nutrition Agency in Kanifing.
Organised by the Network of Gender Based Violence in The Gambia, the training, which started yesterday, is funded by the Finish Development Fund in
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the coordinator of the Network of Gender Based Violence, Haddy Mboge Barrow, said the network was established in The Gambia in February 2010 and the idea of establishing it came during a meeting between Saija Jarvinen, a legal officer working with the police in
She said that during their discussions they all agreed that despite the cultural differences between
According to her, the members of the Network Coordinating Committee are the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH), the Gambia Police Force, Child Protection Alliance (CPA), Young Women Christian Association, the National AIDS Secretariat, Foundation for Legal Aid, Research and Empowerment, and the Police Child Welfare Unit.
She said the members work together to fight against gender-based violence.
For his part, the National Coordinator of CPA, Ndungu Drammeh, described gender-based violence as “a big issue globally and nationally as it happens in families, houses and homes”.
He said the state, duty bearers and other agencies have a big responsibility to ensure victims of gender-based violence are protected and also get justice and care, adding that the state is the main duty bearer as it is the one establishing law.
The public relations officer of the RVTH, who doubles as the chairperson of the network, Babucarr Ngum, said he was delighted at the efforts of the network and urged participants to make good use of the training.
