If the right policy is implemented, the Gambia will see improvements in gender, human rights and women's rights.
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The right to reproductive health is a key issue in human rights. Gender and reproductive health have been given special importance in health issues and development agenda at the international level since 1990. They also have a unique general significance in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union's 2063 'Africa We Want'. Over the last few years, we have noticed that gender equality is an important indicator of the development phase.
(International Conference on Population and Development) The ICPD's review highlights the development of gender equality over the past two decades. Many African countries have enacted laws to protect against violence against women and girls, and they are being implemented effectively. The number of girls in primary schools has increased and there is some improvement in the political arena as well. Contraceptives are becoming available for women, yet the fertility rate is estimated at 4.6 children per woman. The Gambia ranks first in Africa in terms of fertility rate. This is mainly due to the lack of adequate information and facilities on sexual and reproductive health.
The Gambia, in particular, has the highest fertility rate (5.6 births per woman). The country has the highest number of young people in the world and 60% of them are under 25 years of age. Approximately 31% of women give birth before the age of 18 and half, or 40% of women, give birth by the age of 20. According to a 2015 survey by the Department of Population and Health, one in five girls is in adolescence, between the ages of 15 and 19, either giving birth to a child or is pregnant or awaiting the delivery of her first child. It is common here to have an involuntary pregnancy without family planning. More than 25% of women in the Gambia need birth control pills. Probably more than that, because it doesn't take into account the number of unmarried girls.
Women in the Gambia cannot use modern contraceptives, such as pills, IUDS, implants, condoms for women, and injections, for reasons ranging from religious restrictions to lack of information. The Gambia had a spread of only 8% in 2018, the lowest rate in Africa. (The Gambia National Family Policy, 2019-2016). This shows how far it is for women or girls to get the basic facilities they need in terms of sexual and reproductive health. This situation is exacerbated by the high cultural values associated with childbirth. Because of the traditional patriarchal domination, it is the responsibility of women to give birth to and raise a family. (Bram and Hessini, 2014)
Although more than two decades have passed since the establishment of the ICPD, the bodies of women have not stopped getting the look of a battlefield, where a cultural war will be played. Gender inequality is exacerbated by specific rules of masculinity and femininity that place certain limits on a woman's fulfillment of her own desires, her right to health, and her safe living. Apart from child marriage, sexual exploitation of women , inheritance laws, deprivation of rights, women are not even able to make decisions about their own bodies due to which this vicious cycle continues.
Improving sexual and reproductive health, including family planning facilities and other such facilities, requires political will, support and financial resources, as well as integrated and comprehensive sex education based on intervention and practical knowledge. Mechanisms for gender equality need to be strengthened. As already mentioned , "investment in the empowerment of women and girls" is essential to achieving the goal of sustainable development, and this is possible only when women and girls are fully able to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.
For all of these reasons, a group of activists who have dedicated themselves to this work have formed a feminist movement called the Sexual and Reproductive Rights Network (SRRNET), which promotes human and sexual rights for all based on human rights and reproductive health rights. Raising the standard, works with the same purpose. The first meeting was held on May 4, 2019 to build national cooperation on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Through this organization, built using the experience and knowledge of women and girls, it was decided to provide health care as the first major task. We hope that the implementation of clear policies in this area will lead to the proper development of gender equality, human rights, and a women-centered care center.
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