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 community levels. The Government of The Gambia to however address this problem pending the revision of the laws has established a functional Mental Health and Substance Programme Coordination Office. There also exists a functional Community Mental Health Team. A National Mental Health Policy and Strategic Plan has been drafted. Environment and Health In a bid to protect against environmental, industrial and occupational hazards and conscious of the negative impact it may have on the socioeconomic growth and development including health, both legislative and policy measures have been put in place to address these issues. A Public Health Act was enacted in 1990 and this was closely followed by the development and enactment of the National Environment Management Act 1994, and the Food Act 2005. It is also the Governments objective to reduce the frequency of environmental health and safety related diseases by 30 percent by 2020. It is also Government’s policy to effectively handle proper management of solid, gaseous and liquid relate waste. Discouraging Harmful Traditional Practices In a bid to eliminate adverse cultural norms that interfere with the right to health, the Women’s Act 2010 specifically provides under Section 14(3) (e) that it is the Governments obligation to eliminate all forms of discrimination especially all forms of stereotypes and acts of discrimination which perpetrate or tend to perpetrate gender inequality. In addition to the massive nationwide sensitization of grassroots on harmful traditional practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early Child Marriage on its adverse health issues and the plethora of health complications that are associated with the practices, the Women’s Act 2010 has been amended to criminalise Female Genital Mutilation in 2015. Furthermore, the Children’s Act 2005 was also amended to criminalise early Child Marriage and betrothals in 2016. The challenges faced with the recent passing of legislation discouraging harmful traditional practices include lack of well-equipped local police stations with the required legislation for charging of offences and a better understanding of the law. In addition, various communities believe that some of these laws especially the Laws criminalizing FGM and child marriage was imposed on the citizenry by the former regime and thus believe that with the new change of Government the laws no longer exist. This has therefore led to low rate of report of cases of FGM and Child Marriage. Notwithstanding sensitization efforts still continue to create awareness of the laws and the health implications at the grass roots level. Trainings 74