Gambia: International Women's Day
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FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
EDITORIAL
10 March 2008
Posted to the web 10 March 2008
Every year, on 8 March, the world commemorates international women's day, a day set aside to draw the attention of the populace to the plight of women.
Women constitute 51% of the population of The Gambia. They constitute part of the productive forces of our society but their condition and status leave much to be desired.
In the rural area, women farmers just like their male counterparts continue to live in extreme poverty.
Most women who are not engaged in farming are engaged in the informal sector. They produce or sell fruits and vegetables, but storage and marketing of the produce of the producers is still a serious problem. Besides, land is becoming scarcer in the Kombos, as it is being sold to the disadvantage of women. In addition, there is little access to inputs.
If every effort is made to avert that the gap between producer prices and export prices only reflect the real cost of handling and transportation, the more lucrative farming will be.
Those involved in the informal sector must be encouraged to form associations in order to gain greater access to funds from credit societies to expand their informal investments. A growth in the farming community will enable those in the official sector to gain more to facilitate access to goods and services.
Finally, there is need for the formal private sector and the public sector to grow in productivity to ensure that the labour force is employed by industry and other sectors. This will enable women with education and skills to find work in the productive public and private sectors of the economy.
Apart from promoting the economic progress of women, their political, social and cultural rights also need to be protected.
Several legal and policy documents are in place but the problem is implementation. The National policy for the Advancement of Women, the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women, have all been ratified by the National Assembly. A women's Bill is in preparation.
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Although a few women have been appointed to high political and administrative positions, the bulk of women continue to clap and dance while the men continue to occupy political leadership.
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