From May 25 to June 1, 2025, ICTJ held a series of community dialogues in three rural regions of the Gambia on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including crimes committed during the Yahya Jammeh dictatorship. The dialogues brought together 122 individuals, including community leaders, victims, and young people, to share their experiences and discuss pathways for justice.
The dialogues were part of the ICTJ's continuing efforts to support the transitional justice process in the Gambia and the government's initiatives to address SGBV in the country. “Almost four years after the TRRC [Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission] submitted its final report, including a chapter on sexual and gender-based violence, this serious human rights violation remains rampant in the Gambia,” explained Didier Gbery, head of ICTJ’s office in the Gambia. “Combatting it requires input from the community as well as commitment and action from community leaders.”
The 1996-2017 Jammeh dictatorship was marked by serious human rights abuses and pervasive impunity. Regime associates and officials at the highest levels perpetrated the violations, including SGBV crimes.
Following a contested presidential election in 2016 that toppled the regime and forced Jammeh into exile, the country embarked on a path toward justice. The government initiated a comprehensive transitional justice process that included the establishment of several truth-seeking and accountability mechanisms. Most notable among them, the TRRC was mandated to investigate and document the human rights violations committed during the Jammeh dictatorship, recommend appropriate reparations, and contribute to national reconciliation and healing.
As part of its mandate, the TRRC held public hearings on the abuses committed during the dictatorship, including SGBV. The commission’s final report, published in 2021, offered a detailed account of the human rights violations committed during the Jammeh dictatorship and examined the socioeconomic, cultural, and structural conditions that allowed for them to occur. It set forth recommendations to end impunity and hold perpetrators to account, enhance access to justice for victims, including survivors of SGBV, and provide them with adequate reparations and comprehensive support. It further called for broad public outreach initiatives to educate Gambians about SGBV and the lasting impacts, as well as the existing laws prohibiting it.
Despite efforts to implement the recommendations, SGBV and unlawful gender-related practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage are still widespread in the Gambia. In this context, ICTJ partnered with the Gambian Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare to organize community dialogues aimed at raising awareness about SGBV, breaking the silence on the issue, and identifying and developing responses to the obstacles victims face. The UN Development Progamme and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights provided technical and financial support.
Held in the rural regions of North Bank, West Coast, and Lower River, the dialogues offered a safe and respectful space for discussion about these topics, which are taboo in the Gambia’s generally conservative culture. ICTJ grouped the participants in a manner that prioritized their comfort and encouraged open communication. Participants, half of whom were women, felt safe to share their experiences and engage in meaningful discussions. “As a woman, I see how young girls suffer after they undergo FGM with loads of complications. I stand [here] to say no to FGM,” expressed one participant. “I am a victim of child marriage,” confessed another female participant. “Child marriage kills your future and that of your children. I am strongly against it.”
The dialogues explored the consequences of these practices. They also brought attention to existing mechanisms for reporting such violations, as well as judicial and non-judicial avenues to address them. The discussions fostered empathy among all participants for victims, while leaders gained new tools to help survivors and promote attitudinal and behavioral change in their communities. More broadly, the discussions helped to dismantle the stigma and negative stereotypes associated with victims of sexual violence and underscored the importance of providing them with comprehensive support services.
Victims of SGBV have the right to justice, truth, and redress. Addressing the consequences and root causes of these crimes is also essential to achieving sustainable peace. However, to do so, the government and members of society must understand the complexity of the problem and develop gender-sensitive and culturally appropriate responses. Survivors must be empowered to raise their voices and advocate for their rights. “Direct and open public dialogues, such as the ones we conducted, are crucial to dispelling misconceptions about SGBV and enforcing laws that prohibit it,” said Gbery. “Ultimately, they will help reduce the prevalence of SGBV in Gambian society.”
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PHOTO: Participants in the ICTJ-led public dialogue on SGBV held in the town of Farafenni in the North Bank region pose for a group photo. (ICTJ)
