Women’s
Bureau in collaboration with The Gambia Police Force recently trained 20 police
officers on gender-based violence at NaNA conference hall.
The
participants were also trained on the manual on gender-based violence developed
to guide the police force on how to address domestic violence issues.
Kajali
Sonko, deputy director of Women’s Bureau, said The Gambia government is highly
committed to the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence.
He
said the government is committed to the promotion and protection of the rights
of Gambian women and children in line with its obligations under international
and regional conventions, protocols and other human rights instruments.
The
government has developed policies and programmes to take account of gender and
women’s concerns by localising some of the conventions and protocols, Mr Sonko
said.
He
further explained that at Women’s Bureau, over the years, they have conducted
training fora for security units in different parts of the country to address
gender-based violence.
“The
outcome of such trainings is to include gender-based violence as a module for
recruits as they get into the police force,” Women Bureau deputy director said.
He
further noted that during the trainings, it was discovered that while the
communities are taking steps to protect girls, the relevant institutions have
to be equipped with the relevant knowledge and skills to complement and support
the communities they are serving.