Activista-The Gambia in collaboration with Action Aid -The Gambia Monday launched women land policy and Rural Women Assembly [WRA] chapter for The Gambia, held at Senegambia hotel.
The organisation also celebrated International Women day, funded by the European Union.
The forum is part of a long standing campaign for women empowermen, to enable them to have access to land ownership and to understand the land policy and their rights regarding land ownership.
Addressing the participants, Bintou Gassama, deputy permanent secretary for the Ministry of Women Affairs said rural women have been contributing to nation building in ensuring food security.
“They also faced challenges in trying to access, control and ownership of natural and productive resources especially land in The Gambia and the entire at large, “she said.
She added: “We have seen the important role women are playing in ensuring sustainable rural livelihood and food security because they are key drivers in food production, processing and preparation.”
She continued: “The rural women form a significant part in the Gambia’s population and account for more crop production for the agriculture labour force inclusive the informal work. They also performed more on unpaid works and the domestic sevices.”
Gassama added that the delivery of the rights of rural women is not the responsibity of government alone, saying everyone have a role to play and the public must make sure the responsibility is fullfil.
She assured her ministry’s commitment to women empowerment, saying those commitments had been manifested by the ratification of numerous regional and international instruments [protocol and treaties] that safeguard the welfare of women.
However, she assured that her office will work with Activista- the Gambia and its partners so as to reinforce the women advancement advocacy in the country.
Amie Fabureh, Chairperson for the National Women Council (NWC) described the rural women as hard working people who are contributing in the nation socio economic growth, adding they are marginalized because they are less recognized in community development. She noted that despite their contribution yet they connot access land ownership.
Omar Badjie, executive director for AATG said women are key players in food production, process and preparartion, adding they also play vital role in marketing agricultural products. They constituted quarter of the world population and their livelihood is mostly dependent on agriculture and natural resource.”
“Now, we show increment of vulnerability of women especially in food insecurity resulting to climate related hazard such as flood, drought and this led to hunger and malnutrition.”
“This also increases women reliant on men for survival which made them vulnerable to violence and sexual violence in particular,” he noted.
He affirmed that the women policy for land will not only enable them to have access to land but the policy must be seen taken account for women’ ownership and control of lands as well as other relevant natural resources.
Author: Sulayman Waan
