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Gambia: International Women's Day Commemorated
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FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
10 March 2008
Posted to the web 10 March 2008
Annia Gaye
Saturday 8 March is recognised as the International Women's Day celebrated all over the world. In The Gambia, the women organisation called Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices (GAMCOTRAP) commemorated the day with the official launching of their website at Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi. The theme for this year's celebration is "The struggle for Gender Equality Continues.
Delivering her remarks at the launch ceremony, Dr. Isatou Touray, Executive Director of GAMCOTRAP, said that this day is set aside to reflect on the concerns and strategic interests of women all over the world. She further noted that this day is a day when women around the globe celebrate their successes, while renewing their determination to defeat the challenges they still face with the support of each other. She also reflected on the promises made by the governments and donor agencies to ensure that women are put at the centre of development.
She said the celebration coincides with the launching of their website, www. Gamcotrap.gm, in which they accumulated a lot of data and information about the status of women and children in The Gambia, so as to share with its partners, donors and the general public through the use of modern technology.
She said that achievements have been made by women and in which Gamcotrap has contributed; that these include the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, without reservations, the African Protocol on Human Rights on the Rights of Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the land mark success by the public declaration of 13 circumcisers and 63 communities to stop Female Genital Mutilation and the launching of their website.
Dr. Touray further said that as the feminist movement is progressing all over the world there are dynamics unfolding in the journey towards achieving gender equality. "Here I would like to highlight some of the factors that impede the realization of this journey concerning over 50% of the world's population", she said. She highlighted the concept of Gender Equality, which she said seems to raise a lot of intellectual and political debates, particularly among the epistemologists, as well as men, women and highly placed decision makers who, she said, tend to politicize the issue and thereby miss its essence. Dr. Touray concluded that the struggle for women continues as they rekindle their commitment and determination and spell out the visions they have for women's empowerment.
Dr. Amadou Scattred Janneh, of COMIT, said today all women around the world are celebrating this important day to aspire for their rights and potentials in the society. He said that Gamcotrap's launching of its own website would help their partners to access the information of the organization's structure and that the website is invaluable; that Gamcotrap is playing its role to reverse some of the problems that women face.
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Saikou Omar Dibba, a Board Member of Gamcotrap, said that this event is important in the business to advance the cause of women in this country. He gave a brief history of Gamcotrap and said they have embarked on the issue of harmful practices on women and girls. He observed that international women's day is a very significant day throughout the world.
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