The National Human Rights Commission has stated that many girls in The Gambia continue to face female genital mutilation and child marriage despite a legal prohibition.
In a statement on the occasion of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, the commission said: “In The Gambia, a focus on adolescent girls is not just timely but crucial. For instance, numerous rape cases, sexual abuse and other forms of gender-based violence have been reported over the course of 2020.
“Additionally, despite the legal prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage, many girls continue to face these and other forms of discrimination, violence and exploitation in their communities.
“The continuous rights violations, abuse, discrimination and violence faced by adolescent girls are consistent with the United Nations (UN) findings that despite significant gains over the years, many of the commitments made to girls are left unfulfilled.”
