Author: Communication Unit of the Network of Women Leaders for Development (RFLD)
RFLD is a sub-Saharan African organization with expertise in working with state actors, the media and civil society organizations. We intervene through advocacy, policy development, training, mainstreaming gender and promoting civic space, women’s rights, sexual and reproductive health, climate justice, women’s economic rights.
Secretariat email: admin@rflgd.org
The Republic of the Gambia, a small country some forty kilometers wide along the Gambia River, is one of the smallest countries in Africa, due solely to the arbitrariness of colonial division. Situated just a stone’s throw from Libya, Adama Barrow, the current president, came to power during a period of internal tension, and since his arrival has established a presidential regime that many would describe as difficult to live with. Since the country’s accession to international sovereignty, little has been done to improve the population’s standard of living. This is due to the fact that the country ranks 174th in terms of human development, and over 64% of its people live below the monetary poverty line. Characterized by low development indicators, the indicators for girls and women are even lower. In almost all sectors of the economy and society, they continue to be at the bottom of the ladder. According to the UNDP’s Human Development Report, Gambia’s overall human development index for women is just 3%. This reveals that the emancipation of women in the Gambia is encountering many pockets of resistance. In terms of respect for women’s rights, although some progress can be reported, especially in the field of education, the Gambian authorities are still finding it difficult to change the lines of Gambian society, which is still very conservative.
In 2022, what is the situation and what policy will be adopted to integrate women into sectoral development policies?
Current situation: social situation and place of women in the public arena
In terms of sexual and reproductive health
Guaranteeing gender equality means ensuring that men and women have equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead a life of their own choosing, and to avoid extreme deprivation as a result. This includes gender equality in resources, rights and voice. When it comes to sexual and reproductive health in the Gambia, women are more affected by infant mortality, with a rate of up to 10%. This rate can rise to 16% if nothing is done. In rural areas, this rate is partly explained by a high number of early pregnancies due to the frequency of forced marriages from the age of puberty. It is also due to the high fertility of women, even though this rate has fallen in recent years. The fertility rate today is 5.15 children per woman, with a mortality rate of 12.40 children per hour. This high fertility rate is itself explained by the lack of knowledge of contraceptive methods among a large number of women. The Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with a number of infectious and tropical diseases, have also revealed the vulnerability of women, which is further exacerbated by the practice of male sexual vagrancy, polygamy and the total lack of promotion of contraceptive methods under the influence of traditional chiefs.
Women and politics
The image of the African woman as the indispensable, irremovable foundation of her community is a prototype that transcends national borders. And it has always stopped at the threshold of the world of politics and business, at least until recently. Indeed, in Gambia, the year 2022 will have been one of notable advances in women’s leadership and gender promotion in sub-Saharan Africa, in both the public and private sectors. As African women actively working for development, many of them are delighted today to see all these years of struggle to promote gender equality finally reflected in Africa’s ruling class, even if in miniature. The President of the Republic has the privilege of appointing six representatives of the people to the National Assembly, who sit in the same capacity as the elected representatives. The current government includes 23 male ministers and three female ministers. The presence of women in politics is still weak. They still face discrimination. Increasing the number of women in state institutions will enable them not only to strengthen cooperation across ethnic and party lines, but also to fully play their leading role in the defense of gender equality policies.
Perspectives
Eliminating discrimination to guarantee gender equality does not necessarily mean equitable distribution of men and women in all activities, or treating men and women in exactly the same way. On the contrary, it means an aspiration to work towards the emergence of a society in which neither men nor women suffer from poverty in all its forms. It also calls for a form of society in which young girls and boys, women and men alike, feel able to lead fulfilling and productive lives. This is why the authorities must guarantee gender equity. And to achieve this requires policies that imply impartiality in the way the different sexes are treated, in some cases to compensate for social disadvantage. Such a policy can help ensure that the different sexes not only have equal access to opportunities and resources, but also all the means to take advantage of such opportunities and resources. Secondly, the Gambia must set quotas for women in national elections, and ensure that these quotas are respected. Setting a quota will promote gender mainstreaming, which will break down barriers to the involvement of women as far as possible in the development decision-making process. Consequently, these measures are essential to achieving true gender equality.
