FLAG at 20: Two decades of justice and dignity for women and children

The Female Lawyers Association, The Gambia (FLAG), a non-political, non-governmental and non-profit association made up of female members of the legal profession, recently held a ‘Walk for Health’ as part of activities part marking the association’s 20th Anniversary celebrations.
The exercise, conducted from Pipeline to Trust Bank, Westfield, was themed: “Two Decades of Championing Justice for Women and Children, Restoring Hope, Defending Dignity and Transforming Lives.”
The exercise was also aimed at bringing together FLAG members, partners, supporters and members of the public to promote healthy living, unity, community engagement and the importance of collective action.
From One Woman to Thousands of Lives
Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie, a legal practitioner and the first president of FLAG, explained that since its inception, the association has been doing very well, promoting the rights of women and children in The Gambia, and looking for laws and legislation that promote the rights of women and children in The Gambia.
“So today is a day of joy for me,” she said. “And today, having been the first president, I’m now seeing that we have several transitions since I left the presidency.”
She noted that it was a great joy for her being the first president and seeing FLAG moving on from one hand to the other and getting stronger and stronger, and in fact becoming a household name in the country.
She talked about some of their activities which include ‘pro bono services’ - legal advice and legal representation, free of charge, for vulnerable people.
“So as female lawyers in The Gambia, we thought that it was necessary not only to do it on an ad hoc basis, but to get organised and do it in an institutionalized manner,” she said.
Haddy Dandeh-Jabbie, a founding member of FLAG, spoke about some of the achievements the association has registered over the years.
“20 years is a lot. It occurred to us this week that really 20 years is a lot, and we have done a lot for women and children,” she said.
She revealed that what they try to do is to train the younger lawyers to also carry it on, because to do this kind of work, you need to have the passion for it.
“Everything that you do is from your own resources, your own knowledge, etc. So, you have to handle it. We’ve done so much with actually getting legislation in line with women’s rights and children,” she said.
She spoke about their advocacy in various communities up to the farthest parts of The Gambia, adding that in these advocacies, they talked to women about their rights and what they can do to help themselves in leadership positions.
“How they can organize themselves better when it comes to running businesses, when it comes to actually inheritance, owning land. We’ve done so much of that. I think the next step really is more of grooming our own, the younger lawyers that we have, so that they know that to do this kind of work, you need to have the motivation, the passion, and also the knowledge to do it,” she said.
Neneh M.C. Cham, another seasoned lawyer in the country, dwelled on some of the achievements registered by the association, reminding that the passing of the Women’s Act and the advocacy that followed in popularizing it.
“We engaged employers and others on their responsibilities as women who work with them. Beneficiaries of the provisions of the maternity leave,” she said. “We also did the first Sharia training for FLAG members to be able to enable our members to qualify and be able to represent women and children in the Cadi courts.”
She pointed out that FLAG is a household name in the country and that in itself is another achievement, saying a lot of the time when women and children encounter problems and they cannot afford the services of a lawyer, they think FLAG.
“If they don’t know, somebody else will say FLAG. Twenty years later, I still get called for FLAG. When people have issues affecting women, they call me and I refer them to the Secretary-General or the President. So that is the overall biggest achievement that we have been there,” she said.
The main goal of FLAG, she added, is to be able to give them representation so that not only those who cannot afford it can get success, but also in the litigation aspect.
She indicated that they also did a lot of dissemination, education and were actively informing families and women and children on laws affecting them.
“We also lobby for more gender-sensitive provisions. We were very instrumental in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence legislation, Sexual Offences Act, Domestic Violence Act. And it goes on and on and on,” she said.
Anna Njie, current president of the Female Lawyers Association of The Gambia, said as an organization, they started with helping one woman and ended up touching thousands of lives of women and children across The Gambia.
She revealed that their advocacy which cuts across a wider spectrum touched the lives of thousands of women, making reference to a popular adage that ‘if you help one woman, you have helped a whole family.’
“If you help one child, you have helped a whole family. So, I think FLAG is basically the organization in The Gambia that is here to make sure that the rights of women and children are protected in all corners,” she said.
Since assuming office as president, she revealed that there has been a lot of changes, especially institutional changes.
“We have expanded in number. When I came in, we had about three staff. We are now almost 11. We have moved to a bigger space. We are running a three-year nationwide mobile clinic going to every corner of The Gambia. We have engaged more in strategic litigation cases and advocacy for legal reforms,” she said.
According to her, the membership has also increased, including male lawyers and the younger generation of female lawyers.
The association, she added, also provides pro bono services to vulnerable people, pointing out that legal service is very expensive and not every person can afford that service.
“So, it is important at least we play a part for the most vulnerable members of society to be given that protection so that they have equal footing when they access the justice sector,” she said.
On other issues such as domestic violence, Njie noted that they also act in cases of child custody, divorce and land rights issues, acknowledging that the government has done a lot so far in terms of putting in the legal framework.
“But we need more support in the institutions to support the legal framework,” she said.