THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA’S COMBINED REPORT ON THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN & PEOPLES’ RIGHTS &
INITIAL REPORT ON THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA
Part one deals with interpretation;
Part two specific rights for women in the 1997 Constitution;
Part three deals with Government commitment;
Part four deals with temporary special measures;
Part five prohibits discrimination in employment, family responsibilities and work;
Part six deals with education and training of women and girls;
Part seven deals with health and reproductive rights of women;
Part eight deals with the plight of rural women and addresses their strategic needs such as land,
credit and empowerment;
Part nine deals with the sanctity of marriage and family life, e.g. monogamy, polygamy, inheritance;
Part ten deals with additional rights such as participation in peace processes, food security,
sustainable development, positive cultural participation, rights of elderly women, women with
disability, women in distress, etc.;
Part eleven deals with women and institutional mechanism, e.g. strengthening the Bureau and
Council through capacity building, providing resources and identifying sources of funding,
procedures and practices for proper administration; and
Part twelve deals with miscellaneous procedures, periodic reviews, and penalty for offences, etc.
1.2 Access to justice including legal Aid and training of law enforcement officials
Section 7 of the Women’s Act provides that every woman is entitled to equality and justice before the law
and to equal protection of the law. In fulfilment of this right, the Act provides for legal aid to ensure
protection and promotion of women`s rights.
The National agency for Legal Aid in The Gambia is responsible for the administration of the grant of Legal
Aid in proceedings where persons are in conflict with the law and cannot afford the services of a legal
representation as enshrined in the constitution. The Agency embarks on Regional Mobile Aid Clinics in
different parts of the country to offer legal support to indigent Gambians as well as legal representation in
the courts of law in criminal matters in any court, police station or prisons. Although the Agency has the
mandate to handle civil cases, due to constraints, it is yet to handle any civil case. Under the Women’s Act
2010, every woman is entitled to equal protection and access to justice.
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