Gender minister urges men to report abuse at SGBV workshop

By Alieu Jallow

The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Fatou Kinteh, has urged men who suffer abuse or harassment at home to break the culture of silence and report incidents, saying support services are available to all victims regardless of gender.

Kinteh made the appeal at a training workshop on Sexual and Gender‑Based Violence (SGBV) data harmonisation organised by the Female Lawyers Association of The Gambia (FLAG) in partnership with The Carter Center.

“We are going to encourage men to report. We are aware that some men are beaten by their wives and also harassed. We live in a patriarchal society where people believe men are strong and should not report. Please do report. If you report, we will come to your aid and support you as required,” the minister said.

She described the workshop as timely, noting The Gambia’s recent ratification of the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, and outlined efforts to mainstream gender issues into law‑enforcement training. “You may wonder why the Police Training Academy. When there was a case of gender‑based violence in the past, people would report to the police and sometimes it would be dismissed as a family matter. We said we must target the police. We engaged top‑level management and introduced gender and gender‑based violence into the police curriculum because that is where you start from, the nucleus,” Kinteh said.

FLAG president Anna Njie said the workshop offered a platform for stakeholders to share experiences and strengthen collaboration. “Today’s workshop provides an opportunity for stakeholders from government institutions, civil society organizations, and other sectors to come together, share experiences, learn from one another, and explore practical ways of strengthening data harmonization,” she said.

Representing The Carter Center, Hillary Forden reaffirmed the organisation’s global commitment to peace, human rights and support services. “We at The Carter Center will wage peace, fight disease, and build hope. This is what we seek to do everywhere around the world,” Forden said.

The workshop brought together government ministries, civil society, the justice sector, law enforcement and development partners to assess SGBV data systems, identify gaps in data quality and interoperability, and develop recommendations to harmonise data collection and improve survivor‑centred prevention and response.