Women in Liberation and Leadership (WILL) on Thursday launched its Survivor Network Regional Chapters as part of efforts to strengthen survivor-led action against female genital mutilation (FGM) and other forms of violence against women and girls.
The launch, held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre, was held under the themes: “Building a Survivor-Led Movement to End FGM in The Gambia” and “Strengthening Collective Action to Eliminate Female Genital Mutilation in The Gambia.”
Funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the initiative brings together FGM survivors, regional representatives, civil society organisations, government institutions and development partners to strengthen coordinated action against the practice across the country.
The regional chapters are designed to recognise survivors not merely as beneficiaries of support, but as critical voices, leaders and agents of change in the campaign to end FGM.
Speaking at the event, Fatou Sillah, a participant from the Upper River Region, said women continue to face several challenges, including forced marriage, early marriage and rape, alongside FGM.
She said the Survivor Network would give women the confidence and support needed to speak about challenges affecting them and work collectively to address them.
“We will never be scared because we have people who are showing us what we should do, and we should do it,” she said.
Ms Sillah described the project as important in empowering women and commended WILL Executive Director Fatou Baldeh for her advocacy on issues affecting women and girls.
She urged women participating in the network to serve as teachers and guides to one another, while encouraging them to openly discuss their challenges and support each other.
She also stressed that reports published by the media about women’s experiences are not fabricated, but reflect the realities many women face in their communities.
Fallou Sowe, National Coordinator of the Network Against Gender-Based Violence, described the initiative as crucial, urging survivors to return to their communities and take a firm stand against FGM.
He said survivors and women could play an important role in challenging social pressure and confronting those who continue to promote the practice in the name of tradition.
“The Network Against Gender-Based Violence is always here to support women in the fight against all forms of violence,” he said.
Delivering the keynote address, Joy Michael, Programme Specialist at UNFPA, said sustainable change must be driven by communities themselves.
She stressed the importance of documenting survivors’ experiences, identifying barriers, tracking referrals and using evidence from communities to inform national policies and interventions.
Ms Michael also called for stronger enforcement of laws and national commitments against FGM, saying legislation alone was insufficient without quality services, community-level interventions and efforts to challenge harmful beliefs.
She urged stakeholders, including government, civil society, development partners and the media, to ensure that survivor dignity, confidentiality and informed consent remain central to their work.
“Survivor centrality is central to our mandate,” she said, adding that sustainability would depend on survivor leadership, safeguarding standards, effective referral pathways and continued investment in the regional chapters.
For her part, WILL Executive Director Fatou Baldeh said the organisation’s objective was to build a national movement of survivor advocates capable of sustaining the fight against FGM beyond individual projects.
She said the initiative would establish community-based support systems and safe spaces for women and girls, while strengthening early-warning mechanisms and ensuring that survivor voices shape interventions.
Ms Baldeh said the chapters deliberately bring together survivors from different generations, including older women, adolescent girls and younger women, to ensure that women and girls have people within their communities whom they can comfortably approach.
She explained that communities themselves helped identify women leaders, grandmothers and influential young women to form the chapters.
According to her, the regional chapters currently bring together survivors from the West Coast, Lower River, Central River and North Bank regions, with the aim of building a nationwide survivor-led movement.
“We want communities themselves to drive this change,” she said, stressing that the structures should continue working throughout the year, rather than only when organisations implement specific projects.
