Equality Now’s Post

Significant developments from the Gambia! 📣 The parliament has rejected the Bill seeking to repeal the anti-FGM ban in the Women’s (Amendment) Act. We stand with the Gambian government and National Assembly in maintaining the anti-FGM law and ensuring the protection of women and girls. In August 2023, the Kaur/Kuntaur Magistrates’ Court made a landmark ruling by convicting three women for performing FGM on eight adolescent girls—the first such conviction since the law's enactment eight years ago. Following this, some religious leaders and parliament members pushed to repeal the Women’s Act, suggesting ‘consent’ for FGM for cultural or religious reasons. The decision to uphold the Women’s (Amendment) Act is a significant step in protecting against human rights violations and underscores Gambia’s commitment to international human rights standards. #ViolenceAgainstWomen #VAWG #AFWAG #GenderEquity #Gambia #Africa

**FGM ban remains in the Gambia** Now that is commendable. The proposed Bill would have legitimized FGM in Gambia; potentially having a ripple effect in encouraging other countries to follow; thus undermining the progress made in protecting girls and women from this harmful practice as well as having a broad effect in the gender equality sphere. Of course, the law on its own is just not enough. The roots and drivers that enable harmful practices such as FGM need to be addressed, legal enforcement is required, education is needed and so on forth.. For some too, this may be viewed as a rubber stamp or a tick box exercise (and perhaps it is?) But for me, the law is of pivotol importance. Why? Because if today the FGM ban had been decriminalised, then perhap tomorrow it would be some other infringement and oppression relating to child marriage, then after that it could be access to education, then after that it could be access to political participation... then what's next?? Thank you Gambia. Lets keep moving forward; the rights of girls and women are not expendable♀️

📢 Amazing news from the Gambia! The parliament has rejected the Bill attempting to repeal the anti-FGM ban in the Women’s (Amendment) Act. Equality Now commends the government including the National Assembly for upholding the anti-FGM law and standing with Gambian women and girls to ensure their protection from FGM. Back in August 2023, the Kaur/Kuntaur Magistrates’ Court convicted three women for performing #FGM on eight adolescent girls. This landmark judgment marked the first conviction of its kind since the enactment of the law banning FGM eight years prior. In response to the conviction, in September 2023, religious leaders and select members of parliament initiated public discussions seeking to repeal the Women’s Act to introduce ‘consent’ to FGM for women who wish to go through FGM as part of their culture or religion. The decision by Gambian lawmakers to uphold the Women’s (Amendment) Act is not only commendable but also sets a crucial precedent in the protection of laws against regression. This landmark decision is a beacon of progress and demonstrates Gambia’s commitment to international and regional human rights agreements. We recognize that the law is fundamental in serving as the foundation from which we all draw protections from violations. #EndFGM #WomensRights #HumanRights #ViolenceAgainstWomen #VAWG #GenderEquality #LegalEquality #LegalReform #TheGambia #Africa

🚨HOT OFF THE PRESS: Urgent Call to Action to Protect Women's Rights in The Gambia! In 2015, The Gambia took a crucial step forward by enacting a law to prohibit #FGM, recognizing it as a gross violation of human rights. However, a new Private Member’s Bill seeks to lift this ban under the pretext of cultural and religious preservation. Musu Bakoto Sawo Esq and I delve into the contestations surrounding the prohibition of #ENDFGM law in The #Gambia and outline what's next in the legal process. Read more here: #EndFGM220

On 9 October 2023, our association presented its report on Police Brutality in Iran: Roots and Recommendations for Prevention to the members of the UN Human Rights Committee. Following our discussions with the members of the #HRCmtee and other NGOs, we would like to emphasize the need to address the issue of impunity and for a complete overhaul of the justice system to make it human-centric rather than protecting religious dogmas. This would bring Iran into compliance with the autonomous meaning of due process and fair trial safeguards required by Articles 6, 7, 9, 14, 15, and 17 of the ICCPR. Key reforms should include ensuring the independence of the judiciary, access to defense lawyers, strong safeguards for privacy (including online), and the inviolability of the home. Prosecutors must be stripped off of all judicial powers to authorize arrest and detention, or any other deprivation of liberty, including child custody and placing individuals in psychiatric clinics, surveillance, including online, and search of houses. All authorizations to intervene with the enjoyment of fundamental rights must be the exclusive prerogative of judicial powers given exclusively to judges in compliance with Article 14 of the ICCPR. Last but not least, it is important to address the issue of rights of minorities and the urgent need for adoption of a law on equality in Iran in line with Articles 2 and 26 of the ICCPR. Happy to share our statement and link to the report on the website of the #UNTreatyBodies. The Human Rights Committee will deliver its concluding observations on Iran on 27 October 2023. Happy to share our statement and link to the report on the website of the #UNTreatyBodies: https://lnkd.in/eaEgETqn

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒. As our parliamentarians are set to introduce the Female Genital Mutilation and Circumcision Amendment Law for the second reading scheduled for tomorrow. I stand with the Gambians in pleading for the country's national assembly to uphold women's and girls' rights. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, CEDAW, the Maputo Protocol, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child are only a few of the international and regional conventions and treaties to which the Gambia is a signatory to. All of these treaties impose a duty on the nation to protect women and girls from harmful traditional practices and to maintain their fundamental rights Be it as it may, I don't see any justification for repealing the law given the threat it poses to women and girls. If Muslims are shielded by Islamic faith from going to the mosque during emergencies that could endanger their lives or health, like in the instance of COVID 19. Why not FGM/C, which medical professionals have shown to be harmful. The Supreme Islamic Council's national discourse, which involved the invitation of scholars from Al Ahsar University, has additionally demonstrated that the practice's prohibition fell within protective measures. It was regrettable that the Supreme Islamic Council, which solicits their discovered views, was also the body that chose to issue a fatwa of its own, acting as though they had already made up their minds before the discussion and the recommendations made were not in any way what they had hoped to hear. I have to acknowledge that I believe this sets a poor precedent. The most regrettable finding—which is still being questioned—is the reason why women were not invited to participate in the conversation. There are a lot of Islamic academics here that I think could have been developed with a suitable platform so they can participate in the conversation. Women's circumcision is appropriate in certain rare cases for women with specific medical concerns, but we need to ask ourselves if this is what our society broadly craves or if we want to use tradition and religion as an excuse for exacerbating the pain of girls and women? Let our parliamentarians uphold the FGM LAW for the safety of women and girls. #endfgm #Upholdthelaw #gambia #girlsrights

#Gambia lawmakers back recommendations to maintain female genital mutilation (FGM) ban - article by Reuters News Agency search pattern and find by our #Intern Georgios Koskinas: On Monday, Gambian lawmakers adopted recommendations for the country to maintain its ban on FGM ahead of a vote later this month on whether to decriminalize the practice. The recommendations contained in a report by the joint health and gender committee passed a full house sitting, with the majority voting in favor of adopting the recommendations. A final vote on the bill on whether to decriminalize FGM is currently set for July 24. Despite it being outlawed, the deeply rooted cultural practice remains widespread in the country. The first FGM conviction in August 2023 sparked outrage, prompting lawmaker Almaneh Gibba to table the repeal bill. Gibba says the ban violates citizens' rights to practice their culture and religion in a Muslim majority country.  If the ban is reversed, Gambia would be the first country to reverse a ban on FGM. The reversal passed its second reading in March, with only 5 out of 53 voting against it. After this reading, the joint committee carried out a nationwide consultation of religious leaders, doctors, victims, and circumcisers. The conclusions of this report were presented on 8 July, and described all forms of FGM as a “traumatic form of torture.” The WHO has stated that FGM has no health benefits and can cause excessive bleeding, shock, psychological damage, and death. https://lnkd.in/ePv6mnfB

After thorough analysis I realised that there are two basic and fundamental structural defects in the constitution of UN which are 1. Veto Power System for the permanent members of the security council of UN. Since there is a body of all stakeholders in the form of General Assembly wherein all member- countries of the UN are represented there is absolutely no need of Security Council to accept or reject the resolutions passed by General Assembly. As such Security Council should be dissolved forthwith. 2. All member countries of UN are not signatory to the Rome statute consequently some countries are not under the International Criminal Court (ICC) whereas all the member countries have to be under the jurisdiction of ICC so that peace prevails in the world. . Due to these defects America has made a mockery of the UN as it is reduced to a puppet in the hands of the America. Consequently America with some allies have invaded several Muslim countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya and looted these countries then leaving these countries after the loot is complete. Presently America with the help of Israel (both countries are not under the jurisdiction of ICC) is demolishing, doing cold blooded mass murders, devastation, destruction , displacement, ethenic cleansing, murder especially of children and women and genocide and the whole world including the UN have to be mute spectators of all this and nobody has the powers to question them because of these defects in the constitution of UN. More than seven decades have passed by but the above-mentioned defects in the constitution of UN were not rectified. Non-rectification of these defects has created a very grave situation as instead of peace maintaining organisation UN became a weapon of blackmailing and means of invading and looting the rich countries by some countries which were having the veto power also besides these countries were not signatory to the Rome statute consequently these countries were not under the jurisdiction of ICC. As the result these countries became law per se and virtually became terrorist countries of the world because they were not answerable to any forum for whatever they do. Now the climax of lawlessness has reached in Palestine where total devastation, destruction, cold blooded mass murders, genocide, ethenic cleansing, kidnapping and rape of innocent and unarmed civilians is being done and the whole world including UN have to be mute spectators because of the basic and fundamental defects in the constitution of UN have not been rectified. This is the highest time these defects are rectified by the General Assembly. Let General Assembly wake up after decades of slumber and rectify the defects as proposed above.

UN experts and human rights groups use the term ethnic cleansing to emphasise the graveness of atrocities being perpetrated against entire populations. But ethnic cleansing itself isn't a crime. Should it be? Read our latest Q&A. https://lnkd.in/d4UhKR8i