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“I Suffered During Childbirth” – Wellingara Ba Mother Speaks Out Against FGM

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PC: Getty Image The afternoon sun fell gently across the sandy compound as Juma Conteh sat on a wooden chair outside her home in Wellingara Ba, a quiet village in Jarra East, Bureng Ward in The Gambia’s Lower River Region. Chickens scratched the ground nearby while children’s voices drifted in the distance — ordinary village sounds that contrasted with the painful memories she was about to share. On February 16, 2026, in this village located about 170 kilometres from Banjul via the Trans-Gambia route, the mother of three spoke softly but firmly about an experience that has shaped her life and changed the way she sees a long-standing tradition. “I suffered a lot during childbirth,” she said. “The nurses told me the pain I went through was because of Female Genital Mutilation.” Conteh, now in her early thirties, was mutilated as a small child. She was too young to understand what was happening, and like many girls in her community, the decision was made for her in the name of tradition. ...
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A Call for Justice and Reparations: NGO Forum Highlights Ongoing Human Rights Violations Against Africans and People of African Descent

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Group Photos of Participants  Human rights defenders, experts, leaders, and advocates are calling for justice and reparations for Africans and people of African descent while highlighting ongoing human rights violations across the continent. This was discussed during the NGO Forum held before the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in Banjul. The Forum on the Participation of NGOs took place from October 17 to 19, 2025, under the theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.” It brought together civil society organisations (CSOs), NGOs, state parties, commissioners, and individual human rights defenders to address pressing human rights issues affecting the continent, make recommendations, and adopt resolutions to be presented to the African Commission during its session. At the Forum, Commissioner Remy Ngoy Lumbu called for the inclusion of individual participants in future editions to ensure that those most ...
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Rape of Boys: An Emerging Pattern of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Gambia

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Fallu Sowe: National Coordinator NGBV Fallu Sowe, the National Coordinator of the Network Against Gender-Based Violence (NGBV), has raised significant concerns about a troubling new trend in The Gambia: the rape of boys. This form of violence, which was once considered rare, is increasingly being reported to the Network, revealing a disturbing dimension of sexual violence in the country. According to Sowe, this shift emphasises the urgent need to recognise that boys can also be victims of sexual violence and must be protected with the same urgency and care afforded to girls. Sowe spoke with us in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at the Network’s office in Brusubi Phase 2, West Coast Region of The Gambia. “One of the emerging forms of violence we are witnessing is the increase in sexual violence against young boys. This is concerning because this type of abuse is rare and traditionally not known among our people in The Gambia. While sexual abuse of girls and women h...
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Silent Pleasures: Breaking Gambia’s Bedroom Taboo

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PC: Google Sigh, damned patriarchy. I can accept all these patriarchal biases, but why should my pleasure be silent? I am tired, I feel suffocated, and I feel like I am about to explode. Ladies, what should I do about all these desires in my body?  A chilly silence fell over us. We exchanged glances and then looked at Binzy, who was cupping her chin with those lifeless eyes that used to sparkle with joy whenever we came together as friends. Binet Bah, affectionately known as Binzy, has always been the life of the party. She’s our organiser and is usually in charge of coordinating our all-girls outings. Today, however, that party animal didn’t only leave the preparations to us; she had been quiet since we arrived at Lemon Creek. We were all walking on eggshells around her until she finally decided to break the silence. “Binzy, are you okay? Is everything alright at home?” Fancy asked hesitantly. After a few minutes of excruciating silence, our friend of more than a decade finally spoke....
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“I am Gambana, not a Slave”

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Gambana Community in Garawol observing Friday prayers in their mosque under construction  Gambana Community Elders in Koina  Gambana elders in Garawol talking to the reporter  Gambana women in Garawol observing Friday prayers  In Garawol and Koina, some 400 kilometres from Banjul, in the Kantora District of the Upper River Region of The Gambia, there live a people from the Soninkara (Sarahulleh) tribe fighting to free themselves of the clutches of caste-based slavery in the 21 st Century. “I am Gambana, not a slave”, has been their mantra since 2014 as they proactively struggle against a long-standing traditional practice that stifled their fundamental rights to equality and dignity. On Thursday, July 17th, 2025, we travelled by bus through the Banjul-Basse Highway through the south bank of River Gambia. Our mission: to meet with, and listen to the plights of the people who have been considered lowest in social status within the Soninkara communities. Their lives and livelihoo...
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The Real Fertility Crisis: UNFPA, Government Affirm Commitment to Addressing Reproductive Health needs of Women, Girls and Young People

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Group Photo At the State of the World Population Report (SWOP) 2025 Launch on the theme “The real Fertility Crisis: the Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World” and the commemoration of the World Population Day 2025 on the theme 'empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world”, The United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) and The Gambia Government through the National Population Commission Secretariat (NPCS) under the office of the Vice President affirm their commitment to addressing the Sexual Reproductive Health needs of Women, Girls and Young People in the Gambia. The event, which was held on Friday, 11th July, 2025, at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre in Bijilo, West Coast Region of the Gambia, brought together the UN system, the Gambia Government, young people, partners and stakeholders to celebrate, launch the report and discuss the real fertility crisis facing young people in their quest to build the families they w...
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Menstrual Hygiene Day: Adolescent Girls need Menstrual Health Information in Schools

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PC: Google As the world marks Menstrual Hygiene Day on the theme “Together for a Period Friendly World”, I asked, why can’t we have a Pad Shop and Menstrual Health Information and Services in schools to protect the dignity of our girls. The unexpected visitor (Period), as my girls and I love to call it, can appear anytime, whether you are prepared or not. This is our nature and it should not stop us from going to school.  We have stationeries in school and students don’t have to go outside to buy all they need for their studies. Imagine a pad shop within our school environment where students can have access to Pads while menstruating and also have access to Menstrual health information and services they need to manage menstruation with dignity. According to the WHO/UNICEF Report, Globally, a significant number of school-going children lack access to menstrual health information and adequate facilities. Only about 2 out of 5 schools (39%) worldwide provide menstrual health education, an...
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