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 To complement Government efforts in the area of FGM/C, NGOs and CSOs were engaged in advocacy and awareness campaigns against FGM in local communities. Numerous CSO’s champion the fight against FGM/C with appreciable results. GAMCOTRAP has organized “Dropping the Knife” ceremonies where the circumcisers make public declarations that they will no longer engage in the practice and that they will protect the girl child not only from FGM/C but other harmful practices such as FGM. The Women’s Bureau in partnership with UNICEF, and TOSTAN worked on a Community Led Project in Upper River Region against FGM/C. In addition, policy dialogues were conducted for religious and community leaders at the national and regional level to ensure their effective participation in the campaign to end FGM/C in The Gambia. In 2015 the Women’s (Amendment) Act criminalised Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Section 32B of the Act prohibits the practice in all its forms and any person found culpable is liable on conviction to a term of three years imprisonment or to a fine of Fifty Thousand Dalasi or both. Where the act results to the death of the victim, the perpetrator is liable to life imprisonment. The Act also imposes a legal duty to report that the act has been done or is being done or about to be done. So far, only one case has reached the courts (State vs. Sunkaru Darboe and Saffiatou Darboe) at the Mansakonko High Court. However, the case was subsequently withdrawn by the State largely due to insufficient evidence. However, despite the legislation enacted to prohibit these entrenched harmful practice, evidence has shown that Legislation alone is not enough. Evidence from neighbouring countries and at the global level that have legislated against the practice indicates that people with entrenched beliefs will resort to other measures that will enable them to practice what they believe in. there is therefore the need for attitudinal change and beliefs and the need for sustained sensitization, awareness creation and behaviour change communication for people to give up the practice. Child marriage In 2015, The Children’s Act 2005 was also amended to criminalise the harmful practice of Child Marriage and betrothals. However due to this deep rooted cultural practice among mainly uneducated rural families, 138