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 In addition, The Women’s Act of 2010 under Section 26 (c) protects women, especially the girl-child from all forms of abuse, including sexual harassment in schools and other educational institutions and provide for sanctions against the perpetrators of such practices. 2.5: : Domestic Violence The Domestic Violence Act 2013 prohibit all forms of Domestic Violence against women adopted an integration approach to addressing the menace including; protection, prevention, punishment and Despite the enactment of The Domestic Violence Act, the capacity of the relevant institutions to enforce these innovative legislations remains a challenge. Reporting mechanisms for abuse and exploitation outside of the Greater Banjul Area needs to be strengthened and regulatory guidelines and monitoring mechanisms on women and children protection issues are not available at all levels. There is need to put in place such mechanisms to fasten response. Another challenge is the lack of statistical date. Since the commencement of the Domestic Violence Act 2013 the number of complaints lodged by victims of Domestic Violence in The Gambia cannot be provided as the data is yet to be complied. The Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the police investigates and prosecutes perpetrators whenever there is a report of sexual, domestic or of any form of gender based violence. In addition, a series of sensitisation and trainings are being conducted to create more awareness on the existence of the legal frameworks including the security apparatus, the traditional authorities, religious leaders, women and girls among others. A Gender and Child Welfare Unit has been set up at The Gambia Police Headquarters and Police Gender and Child Welfare Officers have been trained to provide support and posted to almost all Police Stations in the urban and provinces. The Female Lawyers Association The Gambia (FLAG) is implementing legal empowerment initiatives that enable women to be active participants in using the law. These interventions include the provision of legal services, such as legal aid and paralegals; capacity building made human rights awareness trainings. 140