By Dawda Baldeh
Panellists from ‘Giss Giss,’ a popular weekly show on The Fatu Network, have called on the Gambian government to thoroughly examine the circular migration agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Spain and to implement all necessary safety measures to protect citizens from potential harm.
The show’s panellists raised concerns following the surge of excitement among the young population, who seem to be extremely excited about the project.
Commenting on The Gambia-Saudi Arabia deal, Nancy Jallow, a gender activist cited alleged sexual harassment, and exploitation in Saudi as a worrisome issue that could potentially lead to sexual harassment of the citizens if the Gambia government does not take any serious measures.
She rejected the Saudi deal, saying the country has a history of sexual harassment of women.
“This is a country that has a high level of security exploitation and trafficking. For me, it’s not a good idea. Every day our girls are being sexually abused in Saudi all in the name of job offers,” she said.
Despite acknowledging that the deal could have potential benefits, Nancy remains unconvinced about the outcome of the deal.
“For me, Saudi is not a good place for our young people,” she added.
When questioned about the Spain circular migration project, Nancy stated that the government has not provided any tangible explanation thus she will reserve her comments.
Doudou Jah, a prominent actor in Gambia’s political landscape, said the deals are good but noted that proper screening needs to be put in place for the safety of the citizens.
“This is a good initiative, but the government should make sure that all measures are in place so that these people are not put into harmful situations.
“Government should assess the work situation, duration of work hours, food the beneficiaries eat, places they sleep, health conditions, pay and so on,” he said.
Jah also mentioned that the job requirements have raised concerns about the difficulty of the jobs that citizens will undertake in Spain and Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Dabakh Malick, a businessman and social commentator, said the intention of the government is good but stated that the excitement should not overshadow the need to do a proper assessment.
He added that the government should provide an enabling environment for all to strive and achieve their goals.
The businessman called for robust implementation of measures to help the citizens get good jobs that could help change their lives.
Over the past weeks, the number of Gambians especially the youths applying for passports has significantly increased with many recently queuing at immigration offices.
This has also raised concerns about Gambians’ desire to travel.
