But that is not the point of this piece. We are concerned that in these days of gender balance, Africell has not thought it wise to have the male version of the Face of Africell. Africell’s subscribers cut across gender – men and women, boys and girls; it is therefore important that it considers having a male face to promote its activities. If it had been the other way round, feminists, gender activists would have been screaming that our womenfolk are being marginalised, discriminated against, prejudiced against, and all those words that people who are politically correct avoid using. But nobody is talking now because the women are having all the fun and glory. This is reverse discrimination. Men too deserve a piece of Africell’s cake. They too would like to cruise around in a four-wheel drive; they would also like to have a scholarship to study abroad. Who would spit out sugar when it is put in their mouth?

The young girls have had a chance of being the Face of Africell, and are about to have the another one. It is now time to give the men a chance, too. What’s sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander. What Africell should do right away is to have a Mr Africell competition for males between the ages of 20 and 25. Just as the young girls flaunt their talents and intelligence, so the young men should be allowed to flaunt their macho, and all that goes with being male. There are a lot of fine looking young men who would like to show off, too, and probably do it better than the women. And to make it more interesting, both competitions can run simultaneously.

We are neither for male dominance nor for female supremacy. All we want is gender balance.

The Forum for African Women Educationalists Gambia Chapter (FAWEGAM) last Friday held a one day bantaba (annual gathering) for students at the Regional Education Directorates, Region One, Kanifing. The gathering, which brought together students from different schools in the region, centred on violence against girls. FAWEGAM is an organisation to support women and girls in acquiring education for development.

In her welcoming remarks, the chairperson Mrs. Emily Foon-Sarr, anticipated that the information shared would be based on practical, real life experiences that will awaken the minds of girls to some of the difficulties they may face in their future lives. It would also however teach the young girls how to be economically independent, self reliant and confident. These, she said are the first step towards shielding oneself from being so easily victimised. She encouraged girls to learn to speak up and report cases of violence.

According to her, years ago violence against women was not given the attention it deserved and was for the most part regarded as an everyday occurrence. This was particularly true because women were subservient and without a voice.

“It is only in recent times that women discovered that by coming together they could gain the strength to enable them to claim their rights in a social and religious set up,” she said. She described the forum as an opportunity to make girls enlightened as to the processes and channels they can access to escape the realities of being the victims of violence.

The resource persons at the bantaba included Mr. Mustapha Drammeh of DOSE’s Gender Education Unit, Mrs. Yamundow Jagne Joof of the Child Welfare Unit of the Gambian Police Force and Mrs. Antoinette Corr Jack the general secretary of the Gambia Teachers Union.

Women’s conditions and empowerment can now be described as a continental issue, as almost every African leader has realized that women’s issues should be addressed positively since the development of any nation lies in the hands of its women. Though women have not got all the rights they are supposed to have, one can say now we are already near the end of the race. There is a saying that if you empower a woman you empower the whole nation, which I guess is the priority of every head of state. Recently our vice president and Secretary of State for women’s affairs and the National Women’s Council, hosted the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre meeting for member countries’ ministers of women’s affairs on the strategic plans of ECOWAS at Jerma Beach Hotel Banjul, which shows the clear manifestation of the struggle our leaders are performing in order to empower and enlighten every woman, down to the grassroots level, the meeting which was attended by various women across The Gambia and the other African countries was one of its kind, and very interesting and important issues were discussed, and exchange of ideas was done on how the government of ECOWAS member states can adopt the strategic plan. After the meeting SHE SHE SHE anchor was lucky to talk to some of the participants from different countries on their individual opinions about the meeting and how it will help the women if adopted. Please read:

Fatou Y Kargbo - Sierra Leone Acting Director Gender and Children’s Affairs.

It’s very worthy, good work and timely, because we have been praying for it to happen, as a gender ECOWAS focal point, we have been debating it on several occasions, and we are praying for opportunities, for us to assemble the member state ministers, in the sub region. It will be adopted if we take it to the governments; I’m sure the ministers will lobby, which is good, because it helps the message to go faster, because even when we say ‘gender’, many think it is about women, but gender stands for both men and women, and gender is a definition for any mortal, it’s part of roles and responsibilities ascribed to us as individual beings. When you talk of gender they think it is a cut-across issue. The meeting is very interesting, and the agenda on gender mainstreaming is sort of to break the iceberg at least for the people to know that when we say gender it is not let me do 50% and you do 50%. No, it’s responsibility matching. If this is a bridge, you take it from here and I take from there, it comes to the middle.

SSS: How do you think women may be able to help if the document is adopted?

FYK:Well it will help women greatly; it will serve as eye opener, enlightening women in all spheres of life economically, morally, socially, and culturally, they will know their rights as human beings.

Honorable Daniel C. Dugan, Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs - Ghana.

I think we had a successful meeting and I believe its success is not that everything went on well, but it is because what is set out to do I believe the ECOWAS and ministers of women’s affairs will both do it. The adoption of the document is left with member states because if you take it to a country, you want to adopt they will push it aside because we are Africans. We pay a little service or attention to women’s affairs, so I would say that if only our ministers who came here push the document in cabinet and make sure that it is adopted, then it will go a long way and will help to advance the women in the African sub-region.

Aji Fatou Njie – United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Dakar.

It is a very good initiative to convey this kind of high level meeting where we can discuss with gender ministers about the financing gender equality. We think that is the best way to get ECOWAS to be more sensitive to the issue of influencing micro economic development, and this meeting is of high quality, very good documents were given out to participants, and I’m sure it will make a great impact.

Sheikh Omar Fye – Head of Gender and Development Unit (Management Development Institute) The Gambia.

This meeting is a landmark achievement in the annals of The Gambia’s gender history; we are able to achieve this because of the help of God and the leadership and all stakeholders’ commitments. This is a regional opportunity to achieve integration among ECOWAS member states. The Gambia is no stranger in making a lot of advances in ensuring that women take centre stage in development activities. One great achievement is that The Gambia is a force to reckon with in setting very good examples in ensuring that we are in top management positions both in public and private sector levels.

Georgiana Kamara, Deputy Permanent Secretary to Minister of Women’s Affairs Sierra Leone.

The meeting is very much educative. In terms of mainstreaming gender and women empowerment, another high point of the meeting was the training although it was not in-depth training but we were given ideas and copies of manuals on gender mainstreaming, which too is very much in place, in that we can give focus in terms of training,  and a training need for gender and women’s empowerment’. The ideas will not be scattered this time around because we have something to look back to, we are taking back the document to different countries so that we can give focus when we want to train people on gender mainstreaming.

Here is His Excellency President Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh’s speech delivered by Her Excellency the Vice President Dr Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy at the July 22nd Square yesterday

It gives me  great honour and pleasure share with you the celebrations of the 2008 International Women’s Day in The Gambia.

The Theme for this year’s celebration which is, “investing in women and girls’ focusing on financing for gender equality and women empowerment is not only timely but also relevant to The Gambia context.

I would like to take this opportunity Madam Chairperson to welcome our guests from the ECOWAS Sub Region and beyond who are here to validate the ECOWAS Gender Strategic Plan under the coordination of the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre.  Banjul is a beautiful city and I have no doubt that you will take time to visit places and make friends.

Let me also at the onset salute you and the Gambian women for turning out en-mass and making this day a success.  The role and contribution of women in National Development cannot be quantified.  As mothers, wives, care givers and decision makers, you continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of this country and Africa in general.

Your contribution to The Gambia’s national development cannot be over-emphasized, you have been steadfast in your support to Government in many and varied ways.

In the area of politics, you women are the engine of success; you have contributed and continue to contribute in the social and productive sectors, have occupied key decision -making positions in Government and are managers of your own businesses.

My gratitude also goes to the majority of Gambian women in the informal sector Production, Processing and Marketing. With the meagre incomes you earn, you are able to contribute to household food, health and education of your children. Today so many of us are living in good conditions because of our mothers, aunts and sisters who engaged in petty trading, horticulture or subsistence rice farming.

The challenges women face are numerous due to the traditional and cultural barriers that inhibit their participation in the major economic and political decision making processes.  That is why about sixty percent of the nominated members of Parliament are women.

My commitment to the empowerment of Gambian women and attainment of gender equity and equality is well known. I have been appointing and nominating women in decision making positions both at national and international levels.  The Gambian for the first time has a Cabinet where the percentage of women is a little above thirty. The position of Vice President, the position of Speaker of the National Assembly as well as other key positions in the Executive and Judiciary are occupied by women.

If women are given the opportunity, they tend to overcome the barriers to their socio-economic empowerment; for example, almost eighty percent of the female nominated to contest for elections in recently concluded local Government elections won as a result of my personal support and the capacity building initiatives of both my Government and Non Governmental organisations.

Also female members of the security forces have excelled in the execution of their duties and have lately benefited from promotions and training packages as well as participated in peace keeping missions.

Unfortunately women and girls, despite the numerous interventions by all stakeholders since 1975 and beyond, continue to be mainly responsible for household chores and reproductive work and are not in control of decisions affecting their life.

Therefore, my Government will continue to undertake initiatives, with the objective of ensuring that women and men have equal opportunities in political participation and decision- making as well as access to, control, and ownership of resources. This is because the gaps between men and women are too wide, and requires urgent action by all stakeholders in the public and private sector as well as donor partners.

The Gambia has signed and ratified major International and National  instruments such as the CEDAW and Protocol to the Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa geared towards promoting women’s and girls rights. The Gambia Government in 1980 established the National Women’s Council and Bureau in response to the implementation of the recommendation of the International Conference in Mexico in 1975.

The Gambia also participated in the 1995 Conference of Women in Beijing and soon after that, the First Policy on the Advancement of Gambian Women was formulated and enacted by Parliament. However, effective implementation of the policy is challenged by lack of adequate human, material and financial resources which are not unique to The Gambia alone.

To ensure the effective implementation of CEDAW and the Protocol to the Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, a review of all laws related to women and gender was conducted and a Women’s Bill drafted.

It is worth noting that it is one thing to draft and enact a piece of legislation; however, its effective implementation must be ensured through regular monitoring and evaluation, training, public sensitisation and education. I therefore, urge all stakeholders to work together to make sure that the set goals in these legislations are achieved.

In tandem with policy development, Government will continue to implement projects and pursue programmes that are gender sensitive. In education, for example, gender parity at Basic level is achieved and a Gender Unit has been set -up at the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education.

In the area of Health, I have since last year made Maternal health services free to all women; a Reproductive Health Policy is being implemented and, the reduction of maternal and child mortality and morbidity continue to receive priority attention by my Government. Infrastural development in health service delivery has also received marked improvements.

Public awareness through  education and advocacy towards the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment has received a big boost as it is not only supported by Government but most non-state actors.  I salute you all and encourage all of you to work together in a more coordinated manner to ensure maximum benefit.

Madam Chairperson, International Women’s Day is an event during which women gather to celebrate their achievement, identify y challenges and come up with forward-looking strategies to overcome the challenges.

You would recall that during the Silver Jubilee in 2006, women undertook a series of activities and proposed key projects geared towards the advancement of women and the attainment of Goal 3 of the MDG, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.

During the meeting with women on that auspicious day, I assured gambian women of my full support to the implementation of the action plan presented to me and this promise was fulfiled. The mid term review of the Women’s Policy was conducted.

A Women’s Bill drafted, a National Study on the feasibility of establishing a women multi- purpose centre conducted, and the final report after validation submitted.  A number of selected women’s vegetable gardens will also be rehabilitated and labour saving devices budgeted under the UNFPA Project. These are a few examples of the activities of the Silver Jubilee and the achievements registered so far.  Furthermore, the Maternity Ward at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital was completely rehabilitated including the provision of bed sheets for baby cots, and mother’s beds.

Women are now more than ever involved in state matters. The women’s Bureau and Council benefited from infrastructure development, a capacity building project that provided among other things training, a study tour to Senegal, and monitoring of women’s projects.

Madam Chairperson, in short, most of the recommendations have been implemented; but as a Government we need to further reinforce our efforts and do more in the areas of effective gender mainstreaming, particularly gender budgeting and implementation of a national gender-based violence programme.

At this juncture, I would like to appeal to the school children to work hard and contribute towards the bridging of gender gaps. This can only be realised if you concentrate on your education and make sure that you attend school, and partake of the quality education provided to you at the highest level possible which is key to gender equality. As you already know, gender inequality is mainly a result of women’s and girl’s lack of adequate and relevant education.

Finally Madam Chairperson, before concluding, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those institutions, which have facilitated the participation of their staff in this occasion; I would also extend our thanks and appreciation to the UN system for their support and collaboration in the organization of this event.  Let me once more re-iterate my government’s commitment towards the social and economic upliftment of Gambian women, and the total elimination of the gender gap.

It is always a pleasure to be with you and to work with you and I look forward to being with you tomorrow at the opening ceremony of the ECOWAS Ministers of Women’s Affairs meeting.

I wish you a happy and enjoyable 2008 celebration , May Allah (SWT) Bless you all.

In a bid to enhance the knowledge and capacities of ECOWAS Parliamentarians on gender related issues, the ECOWAS Gender and Development Center recently organised a two-day seminar on gender mainstreaming. 

Held at the Paradise Suites Hotel, the seminar amonger other things sought to build the capacities of ECOWAS to have a greater understanding of the concept of mainstreaming in gender as enshrined in the policies and programs of the ECOWAS Parliament.  This is also in fulfillment of the mandate of the ECOWAS Gender and Development to initiate and facilitates capacity building through knowledge and skill-based training.

In her opening remarks, Madam Aminata Dibba, acting director of the ECOWAS Gender and Development Center, underscored the importance of the training seminar which she said is imperative to the global quest of gender equity in the development process.

According to Madam Dibba, the Seminar will help build the capacity of Ecowas parliamentarians to understand the concept of gender mainstreaming.

She posited that gender mainstreaming in the policies and programmes of ECOWAS Parliamentarians is strengthening the on-going transformation of the integration process.

Madam Dibba noted that this will further lay the foundations for women to participate more effectively in the development process and there by the region in order to maximise the utilisation of its human and material resources.

In her presentation at the Seminar, Mrs. Adelaide Sosseh said that the Seminar will greatly enhance the harmonisation of policies and programes in the ECOWAS community and thus help in the elimination of gender inequalities and disparities in the region.

A five-day meeting of the ECOWAS Committee on Gender, Employment, Labour and Social Welfare opened last Monday at Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi.

The forum is organised by the Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment in collaboration with ECOWAS Parliament Committee on Gender, Employment, Labour and Social Welfare.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Honourable Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay, Speaker of the National Assembly, called for solidarity among sub regional women. “ The African Unity we are talking about cannot come together if we women do not come together” she stressed. The House speaker used the opportunity to hail the Gambian government, under the leadership of President Jammeh, for empowering women of the country in all aspects of life. She further stressed the need for African women to cherish their African culture and traditions.

In officially declaring the forum open, Honourable Dr. Fatmata Hassan, 4th Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, said that the treaty on rights of women, formally known as the Convention on the elimination of all form discrimination against women (CEDAW), is the most comprehensive international agreement on the basic rights of women. The treaty, she added, has been ratified by over 184 nations and has become an important tool for partnership among nations to end human rights abuses and practices against women.

She congratulated the Gambian government for putting women on top of their development agenda and addressing female issues not only vocally but also in practice. She described this as a trend that needs to be emulated by other member states who are lagging behind.  “I am proud to inform you that all ECOWAWS member states have ratified the CEDAW treaty but much needs to be done,” she stressed.

Other speakers included Mr. Yaya Haidara Chairman ECOWAS Parliament Committee on Gender, Employment, Labour and Social Welfare.

Rural women living with HIV in circumstances of poverty in South Africa face discrimination in relationships and in communities because of their gender, HIV status and economic marginalization.
 
A new Amnesty International report based on interviews with rural women, the majority of them living with HIV, exposes the overwhelming challenges they face in the midst of the severe HIV epidemic affecting the country.
 
"Rural women in South Africa are disproportionately affected by poverty and unemployment," said Mary Rayner, Amnesty International's South Africa researcher.
 
"They continue to experience discriminatory attitudes and practices -- particularly from male partners – and live in an environment rife with high levels of sexual and other gender-based violence."
 
Despite gradual improvements in the government's response to the HIV epidemic and the adoption of a widely-welcomed five-year plan, five and a half million South Africans are HIV-infected – one of the highest numbers in any country in the world. Fifty-five percent of them are women. South African women under 25 are between three and four times more likely to be HIV-infected than men in the same age group.
 
Many women interviewed by Amnesty International said that they were often unable to protect themselves against HIV infection because they felt at risk of violence when they suggested condom use.
 
One woman told Amnesty International that her husband, a truck driver, spent much of his time on the road. On his days off, he would visit her, but he refused to use condoms when she asked him. After he abandoned the family, she became sick and discovered at the local clinic that she was infected with HIV. She has no knowledge of her husband's health since he left the family.
 
Several other women interviewed by Amnesty International described being beaten and forced to have sex by husbands who actively refused to use condoms.
 
"Rural South African women's lives are scarred by persistent violence in their families, homes and in under-policed, unsafe communities," said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Director of AI's Africa Programme.
"The co-existence of epidemics of both HIV and violence against women has raised the costs of violence for South African women and girls – both physically and psychologically," said Kagari.
 
The majority of rural women interviewed by Amnesty International said that their male partners were reluctant to test for HIV or refused to be tested -- even when there were strong indications they might be HIV-infected. Many of the women faced abuse from their partners when they tried to access health services for HIV-related treatment and care.

Effective treatment for HIV and AIDS requires regular visits to hospitals and clinics and adequate daily food with which to take medication. Rural women living with HIV in poverty and unemployment face constant challenges in having regular access to food and often cannot afford transportation to health facilities accredited to provide treatment.
 
"Lack of physical access to treatment centres is tantamount to a denial of access to health care services, and the government must take more responsibility in ensuring this access," said Michelle Kagari.
 
Amnesty International's report offers specific recommendations to national and provincial authorities on how to tackle the challenges facing rural women living with HIV. It also makes recommendations to donor countries and institutions that support health initiatives in South Africa.

A new film prize at the 2008 Zanzibar International Film Festival for films relating to development policy issues

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, in cooperation with the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) and Southern Africa Communications for Development (SACOD) will be awarding the Ousmane Sembène Films for Development Award for the first time in 2008. The prize will be awarded to a film that takes a particular look at topics of development cooperation. It carries prize money of US $5,000 and is designed to help the winner in his or her future film-making career. The Festival will be held in Zanzibar/Tanzania from 11–20 July 2008.

The focus of the film selection in 2008 will be on HIV/AIDS, with topics such as gender, the environment and ecology, education and poverty following in the years to come. “HIV/AIDS poses a threat to people and societies throughout the world, particularly in the large majority of African countries, which are home to two-thirds of all people living with HIV. Future development in the countries of Africa depends to a large extent on whether the societies particularly hard hit by HIV manage to cope with this pandemic. That’s why we’re focusing on HIV/AIDS in the first year of the prize,” said Thomas Kirsch-Woik, GTZ expert on HIV/AIDS.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), amongst others, GTZ is shaping the German contribution to the global AIDS response and is developing further approaches in the fields of HIV/AIDS prevention. GTZ is also steering the German input to the European hospital-twinning  Alliance ESTHER, the aim of which is to improve access to high quality treatment, care and prevention of HIV and AIDS in developing countries. Moreover, GTZ is further developing promising approaches to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV in Kenia and Tanzania .

As an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations, the federally owned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its development-policy objectives. It provides viable, forwardlooking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. Working under difficult conditions, GTZ promotes complex reforms and change processes. Its corporate objective is to improve people’s living conditions on a sustainable basis.

As part of the activities marking the international women’s day celebration, Gamcotrap joined the rest of the world in the commemoration together with the official launch of its web site at the Paradise Suites Hotel last Saturday. The theme for this year’s celebration was “The struggle for Gender Equality continues…”

It is a very important day that should not only be observed by Gender activists or institutions that deals with women’s and girls issues only but the whole globe. It’s not an issue that concerns only one sex but it’s for both as far as humanity is concerned. Hence with these two sexes one cannot go in the absence of the other because they are partners. So, I don’t think there can be any thing said like it’s a women issue so men should not participate, no! That should not be the case because neither of the sexes is born in the absence of the other, so this is a clear manifestation that we should stand for each other and fight for rights and the betterment of each other. In many African countries women are seen as only mothers who bear children and take care of them, some are being marginalised, discriminated against, denied inheritance, land owner ships, decision making and even denied education which we all know is a right for them. All these things are done to them just in the name of tradition, which we may not have known but can even affect our religion as worshipers. Why should such things happen to them? Are women not human beings? Are they not partners to the male counter parts?

Are they not mothers, sisters and wives to men? If this is so I don’t think there should be any query when the Women’s right issue is raised because women’s right are human rights as no nation can have a real human right without women being given their rights. This week I bring you some people’s opinions about the theme for this year read below:

Mam Sira Jobe Kurang registrar Gambia Training and Multimedia Institute/executive member Gamcotrap: I am very much impressed with the day. I have the feeling that we are going forward. Gamcotrap has gone through a big struggle to reach where we are today. I am sure a day will come that we will be recognised not only by The Gambia but the whole world. I am happy that the web site is launched and that will show the people outside The Gambia what Gamcotrap is achieving and will create a lot of awareness. Gamcotrap normally say things directly. These things sometimes are taboos which will break for our children so that they will not fall the wrong trap. Finally I would like to advise every parent to accept the banning Female Genital Mutilation, because its dangerous.

Mrs. Tida Jaiteh teacher Bakau Upper Basic School: I would call the day excellent. This is a struggle that we have been advocating for the few past years as far as girl children are concerned. All these practices we discussed are not a new thing so we keep on advocating and making sure we eradicate FGM completely in our society. We should sensitise the children as they are the future leaders if not there cannot be a brighter future for women tomorrow, the ice have to be break.

Sheihk Omar Fye co ordinator and head of Gender and Development Unit MDI: My main opinion is the theme. Its timely by looking at the reality on the ground. We have the presence of a gender gap that prevails in our communities. When it comes to the time of decision making it balanced in terms of men and women in top management positions. This has lead to more male dominants, so the theme to my own opinion is geared towards closing the gender gap. I would also like to hail the efforts of the government of The Gambia and all stake holders for the drive towards gender parity. I would also want to emphasize that there is need for gender equity in order to avail both male and female equal opportunities in a bid to bring about effective national development.

Yadicon Eribo Njie coordinator Fawegam: It indeed continues. Though women today are lucky enough to see the progress of the work done by the women that were here before us, we the younger women have found the road paved by the struggle of the older women. We should not relax because there is a lot of work still to be done. Today we still see women being discriminated against, just because they are women, no matter what your background is you should come together support each other and make sure that every woman realizes her highest potential.

Absatou Saidykhan Fawegam: In The Gambia we cannot have gender equality as of now, because it was not there now. What we are asking is a fair share of whatever job opportunities, scholarships and a lot more that we have been lacking. These are issues like family inheritance, loans from bank and ownership. If your husband has land you are not given land at Social Security Housing and Finance Corporation. We are not on the same level, until all that is available we can’t talk about gender equality but then the struggle will continue.