 |
| “The
[West Africa] region is inundated with all forms of violence ranging from FGM, early or forced
marriage, rape, state impunity and the ravages of war with its gender
dimensions,” she said. (Photo Credit: MSJoof/TNBES/October 2015) |
Touray,
a West Africa Regional Coordinator of the Campaign which is meant to end
violence against women and girls, said it can
be expressed in various ways and to include all issues and also specific enough
to the needs communities want to highlight, raise and change.
Speaking at Gamcotrap’s offices in
Kanifing on October 5, 2015, she said the debate about female genital
mutilation and women’s rights is all about positive change.
Major changes needed
“We have not yet changed the systems
that perpetuate violence against women (VAW), therefore we must continue with
the revolution,” she said. “We can deepen what it can mean, and escalate
actions around it. Major changes are still needed particularly in ways of
thinking and consciousness about violence against women issues.”
Touray,
an executive director of Gamcotrap and the facilitator of the OBR in The
Gambia, said “revolution is the most major thing
we need.’
She said it allows for creative and
artistic expressions, multi-sectoral involvement, and more importantly –
provides a unique space to engage people from all walks of life.
She said in their bid to
bring about greater respect for the rights of women and girls and zero
tolerance for gender-based violence, The Gambia under the auspices of V-Day (14th
February 2016) will join the rest of the world to amplify the voices of
millions of women and girls suffering from one form of violence or the other.
West Africa
inundated with all forms of violence
Dr.
Touray said the sub-region is affected by various pandemics such as the Ebola
crisis which started from Guinea, Sierra Leone to Liberia and a few other
countries like Senegal, Mali and Nigeria etc.
She
said while there is progress, a lot needs to be done. There is need for “our
engagement towards total elimination of Ebola” in the region and globally. This
is a revolution for all of us to engage with, she added.
“The
region is inundated with all forms of violence ranging from FGM, early or forced
marriage, rape, state impunity and the ravages of war with its gender
dimensions,” she lamented.
She
said a revolution is needed to change this situation for women in West Africa and
the world.
Dr.
Touray encouraged a group of young people attending the launch to rally people
around to create awareness and amplify their voices, energies and connections
to influence positive change.
Since
these young men and women are familiar with their various contexts, she said
they can call to accountability the various perpetrators about the plights of
women and vulnerable groups.
Atrocities
affecting women
She
said: “…you can start your revolution… You can come together as a coalition, a
small group of people with specific interests, or individuals and organizations
to advocate on a common platform.
“You
can involve all the interested groups irrespective of their orientation,
women’s rights are human rights and zero tolerance to discrimination is our mantra.
“Let
us give support to ourselves and others worldwide to call the attention of the
whole world about the atrocities affecting more than 50% of the world’s
population – women.”
The OBR seeks to address poverty,
economic violence, climate and environmental plunder, migration, globalization,
race, gender, impunity and militarization.
The
2016 OBR revolution is meant to enlarge, to deepen, to expand, to revolutionize
the campaign to end violence against women and girls.
Stakeholders
including government authorities are urged to “Listen! Act! And Rise for
Justice!” - As campaigners “focus on highlighting, creating and envisioning
new, brave and radical artistic initiatives to bring in the new revolutionary
world of equality, dignity and freedom for all women and girls.”
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Written by Modou S. Joof
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