Our Stakeholder report to The Gambia’s Universal Periodic Review, led by Dr. Amna Nazir, Stella Mguli, and Lamin Daffeh, makes specific recommendations to the government on the issue of female genital mutilation.
Researchers
Consultancy background
In July 2024, the UPR Project at BCU submitted a Stakeholder Report to The Gambia’s fourth UPR cycle, led by Dr Amna Nazir. This submission focuses on female genital mutilation. We make recommendations to the Government of The Gambia on this issue, implementation of which would also see the country moving towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 16 which aim for ‘gender equality and empowering all women and girls’ and ‘access to justice for all’.
On 01 November 2024, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published its Stakeholder Summary Report for The Gambia, which cited the Stakeholder Report submitted by UPR Project at BCU:
“UPR-BCU stated that at the previous review, The Gambia had supported 7 recommendations which focused on preventing female genital mutilation. The Gambia had also supported 17 recommendations on the broader issue of violence against women, including female genital mutilation. UPR-BCU considered these recommendations to have not been implemented. UPR-BCU further considered an additional 8 supported recommendations which identified the importance of not just enacting laws prohibiting female genital mutilation, but enforcing such laws, and 2 supported recommendations which called for the sensitization of the public, especially traditional and religious leaders, on the negative consequences of child marriage and female genital mutilation, to have been partially implemented.” (para 65)
“UPR-BCU stated that in The Gambia, the practice of female genital mutilation was imbedded in cultural and religious misinterpretations that disregarded the State’s obligations under its domestic, regional, and international law to protect the lives, health and wellbeing of its citizens. UPR-BCU stated that The Gambia should invest in comprehensive education and awareness programmes to promote understanding of the impact of female genital mutilation. It should engage directly with local, rural, and religious leaders to educate and support them, creating specific provisions to eliminate female genital mutilation as a cultural practice. Additionally, survivors should be provided with medical, legal, and psychological support.” (para 66)
“JS3 stated that the attempt to repeal the Act highlighted the ongoing threat to the rights of women and girls and demonstrated the need for more programmes focused on community education and awareness.” (para 67)
About the UPR Project at BCU
The Centre for Human Rights (CHR) has been engaging with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) since 2016. Under the auspice of the Human Rights Council, the UPR is an intergovernmental process providing a review of the human rights record of all Member States.
Through the UPR Project at BCU, the CHR we engage with the UPR through taking part in the UPR Pre-sessions, providing capacity building for UPR stakeholders and National Human Rights Institutions, and the filing of stakeholder reports in selected sessions. The UPR Project is designed to help meet the challenges facing the safeguarding of human rights around the world, and to help ensure that UPR recommendations are translated into domestic legal change in member state parliaments.
We fully support the UPR ethos of encouraging the sharing of best practice globally to protect everyone's human rights. The UPR Project at BCU engages with the UPR regularly as a stakeholder, having submitted numerous reports and been cited by the OHCHR.