Six Alkalolu, Imams and council of elders recently joined over one hundred women and men to attend a training on sexual and reproductive health and the rights of women, in particular the effects of female genital mutilation at Bantanto Village in the Central River Region.  

Organised by GAMCOTRAP, the event drew participants from the villages of Bantanto, Mabally Koto, Mabally Kuta and Sare Jibel in the CRR.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Isatou Touray, the executive director of GAMCOTRAP emphasised that her organisation is not against culture and traditions but wants them to be critically analysed to come up with practices that protect the rights of women and girls. She noted that the perception of traditional practices are changing towards a positive direction as communities and families are protecting girls from FGM, early marriage and other harmful traditional practices which led to the first national declaration of the dropping of the Knife Initiative in May 2007.  

Dr Touray further highlighted the challenges of dealing with mobile circumcisers from Senegal who cross the border into The Gambia to practice FGM, noting that there is no law in The Gambia to protect the girl child against FGM.

Alkalo Fatou Danso of Kaba Kama Village, who is also a nurse and midwife in the Upper River Region, shared her experience of the effects of FGM and early marriage on women and girls.

At the training, the traditional communicators locally called 'Kanyelengholu' sang songs to support the campaign to stop Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at Bantanto. The songs were based on the effects FGM has on women and girls, women's rights and empowerment.

In his contribution, Kebba Kora of Bansang who is also the head Alkalo of Fulladu called for a stop to FGM and pointed out the need for a law to stop the practice.  He pledged to sensitize the 132 Alkalos under his jurisdiction about FGM and its serious implications on the sexual and reproductive health of women.
 
He then called on parents to educate their daughters and emulate GAMCOTRAP as role model.

Other speakers at the Bantanto training stated their support of the campaign to stop FGM.

Speaking on behalf of the women of Sara Jibel, Chedo Jawo, thanked GAMCOTRAP and noted that FGM has nothing to do with Islam but was merely about jealousy.  She called on women to protect their children from the practice.  

Similar sentiments were expressed by Jabou Janneh of Mabally Kuta.  

Penda Sanyang, the traditional birth attendant of Mabally Koto comfirmed that their village circumciser has stopped practicing FGM.

The training also highlighted the Public Declaration to Stop FGM by another circumciser Jainaba Kanteh of Mabally Kuta in the CRR. She received five thousand dalasis as support to start an alternative income activity.