Realizing Children's Rights in The Gambia
The Gambia has made efforts in
some areas relating to children’s rights, such as access to health care and
equality between girls and boys. However, the situation remains very difficult.
Main problems faced by children in Gambia:
Access to health care is relatively good, but the
lack of information and the poor quality of services reduces its effectiveness.
Gambian children, particularly girls, suffer from malnutrition and diseases
such as malaria and AIDS.
These problems, particularly that of malnutrition,
are less pronounced in urban areas. In rural areas, for example, there are
twice as many underweight children under 5 years living compared to urban areas
(respectively 22% in rural and 12% in urban areas).
10. 000 women over 15 years were estimated to have ADIS in the Gambia, only 32% of the poorest
women aged 15-24 years had an overall knowledge of AIDS.
The risks of transmission to children are therefore high and, in the
absence of prevention effort and information, the worst is yet to come for many
Gambian children.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that the
use of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of AIDS is belittled by the government.
Female genital mutilation
Measures taken by the Gambian government to fight female genital mutilation are educational
in nature and are insufficient given the continuing traditions and cultural
sensitivity regarding these practices.
In the absence of legal prohibition, the Gambia is one of the countries
with the highest rates of female circumcision.
These practices vary by community. For example, of the nine main ethnic
groups, seven practice mutilation between birth and age 16. Among the Mandinkes
and Sarakoles, 100% of girls are excised or mutilated.
These practices are more common in the Upper River region, but less
common in urban areas and among the more educated populations.
Child marriages continue despite the adoption of
the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the Gambia and the criminalisation
of forced marriage of girlsaged less than16 years pursuant to the criminal
code.
This phenomenon is more common in rural areas and among girls, who are
sometimes as young as 12 years at the time of marriage. A study noted that 7%
of girls were married off at the age of 15 years and 36% at age 18.
In Gambia, sexual exploitation, sex turism and trafficking are common, particularly among girls.
Despite the criminalisation of sexual abuse of minors, sexual exploitation of children, and child pornography, more and more children are
being employed by the sex industry.
Children begin working sometimes from the age of 12 years. Many are from
poor families or have lost parental protection. In exchange for their services,
the girls receive payment of school or medical fees and other gifts.
A special force managed by the army has been put in
place to combat sex tourism and
to prevent children from approaching areas used for prostitution.
These activities often take place in urban hotels, although there is a
tendency to move them to rural areas due to increased regulations by the hotels
themselves.
However, no checks are performed and the practice of bribing
(corruption) to obtain a girl is still common.
It should be noted that the Gambia is a country of
origin for child trafficking and is not party to the 1980 Hague
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
Children and drugs
Many families cultivate marijuana to support themselves and many
adolescents are therefore addicted.
The population of street children is very high in the Gambia,
particularly in border towns. They are nicknamed “almodous” and 60% of them are
from neighbouring countries.
Government measures have been adopted to reduce this phenomenon. The
authorities take children to transit centres where they try to return them to
their families. There are, however, not enough resources to care for all the
children, who, moreover, resent this.
Many children thus still live and work in the
street and remain vulnerable to adults and other children. They are often malnourished,
live half naked, are beaten, exploited and risk having unprotected sex.
Poor families often tend to entrust their children
to a “wise man” or “marabout” to provide them with a Koranic education. They
thus inadvertently facilitate child trafficking
without being aware of it. In fact, many of these children are found on the
streets begging alms for their teacher in exchange for room and board.
Childrenare abused if they do not bring in enough money.
Despite punishment in cases of violence, including domestic and sexual
abuse of children, abuse is widespread in the Gambia.
87% of child care givers believed that corporal punishment was necessary
to educate children.
As regards domestic violence, and given the high number of child
marriages in the Gambia, it should be noted that, 71% of adolescents aged 15-19
years felt that a husband was justified in hitting his wife under certain
circumstances.
Finally, it should be noted that children do not have adequate means of
recourse, protection, services or advice on the subject, and that perpetrators
of crimes against children are often not prosecuted or punished.
In Gambia, child labour is still common and,in spite of developments
since 2010, 29% of girls and 20% of boys are employed.
Despite the adoption of a law ensuring equality between girls and boys
in June 2005, Gambian domestic law permits and explicitly incorporates discriminatory
Islamic laws vis-à-vis women as regards divorce, adoption, inheritance,
marriage and burial.
The number of orphans is still high in the Gambia. UNICEF estimates that
there were 72,000 orphans aged between 0 and 17 in 2009.
The birth registration rate in the Gambia is low: 52% among 20% of the
poorest sections of the population and 64% among 20% of the richest. Registration
is vital in order to ensure children’s rights and, in particular, schooling or
the obtainment of a health care card.
Source: Children Rights Portal
