Founder, Toufah foundation
By Ramatoulie Jawo
Survivors of sexual and gander-based violence in The Gambia continue their quest for justice through Toufah foundation.
The foundation on Saturday premiered a survivor-centered documentary meant to complement the work of TRRC and overall transitional justice process in The Gambia.
The documentary featured stories of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and their families across the country.
In her opening remarks, the founder of the organization Fatoumatta Jallow (Toufah Jallow), said they created a safe space for the survivors to feel comfortable because they want to celebrate them forever in the country as they went through a lot without help from anybody to fight for their rights.
“This association is for women to express their feelings and also to render support to women victims of violations,” she said.
She added that they cannot just sit down and wait for justice; adding they have to stand up to do something in support of women victims.
Fatou Baldeh, CEO, Women In Liberation Leadership (WILL), said it’s a collective responsibility to stop Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in The Gambia; thus, their organization is going around the country to sensitize the public about GBV.
She added that most of the time, they work with the ‘Kanjalen’ group (traditional communicators) to talk to them about the issue of gender-based violence so that they can go back to their various communities to educate them.
In the “stories to repair broken dignity”, victims and survivors talked about their encounter with stigmas they faced in their various communities, their quest for justice, healing and reconciliation.
However, many of the victims and survivors said they are not ready to forgive, as what happened to them was painful which they could never forget.
Comments are closed.