Over 100 women submit report of human right violation to truth commission

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By AMADOU MANJANG

Hundred and eighty (180) women from the villages of Sintet, Janjanbureh and Basse on Monday have on Monday jointly submitted a report to the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC).

The 24 pages booklet containing gross human right violation suffered by women during the 22 years of former President Yahya Jammeh led dictatorship.

The reports indicates that not only men have suffered during Jammeh’s reign of terror, but women were faced arbitrarily arrests, torture, forced labor, land confiscation among other ill treatments..

The series of consultation workshops that gave birth to the report were organized by the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) in complementing the work of TRRC in the transitional period.

Penda Bah, the representative of the women group read recommendations collectively made by the women during the workshops held in the said villages said the women participants raised their voices in unison to be articulate about their suffering in the report.

She said most of the recommendations are directed to TRRC and the government, adding that they points are necessary to be put into consideration.

Recommendation for the TRRC

In their recommendation to the TRRC, Penda said the women stated that the Commission should avoid putting the photos or videos of victims on (social) media during hearings, because a safe space should create for the women to tell their stories.

She added that they are calling for the encouragement of outreach programs by the TRRC to inform people in the remote villages of the country about the commissions’ proceeding as many are not aware of the commission’s work due to lack radios and TV.

“We want the full truth about the 2009 witch hunts to be revealed, and we call on TRRC to clear our names, affirm our dignity, and let the whole world know we are not witches,” she said.

She opined that the commission should have reparation for women victims and their families.

Recommendation for the government

She urged the government to increase civic education and women empowerment initiatives to ensure women farmer have access to land and not subjected to force labor.

The deputy executive secretary at TRRC, Musu Bakoto Sawo said the stories of these women are important to the commission’s work and it takes lot of courage for them to share their stories.

She said many women refused to share their stories because of some social stigma, discrimination they face after their testimony, adding that people should be one another’s keeper.

“Victims stories should be acknowledged,” she added.

She encouraged women victims to come out and narrate their stories either publicly or privately because only when the stories are told that the narrative can be changed.

Adelaide Sosseh Gaye, the deputy Chairperson of TRRC said the document is vital because without empirical evidence the truth can’t be known.

“Without the voice of the women the TRRC narrative won’t be complete,” she added.

Encouraging the women to come and tell their stories because they will be qualify for reparation only when their stories are told.

Didier Gbery, the representative of ICTJ said the report is timely to support the ongoing truth seeking process at the TRRC.

He said this is an alternative way of women victims telling their stories of sexual and gender base violence without appearing on TV.

He added that the way society blame or shame women victims after their testimonies encourages “impunity for the perpetrators” which should be discouraged.

“We called upon the government to fulfill its international human rights obligation to promote women rights,” he said.

He also urged the TRRC to encourage more women participation in the truth and justice seeking process.

Mary Sillah, representative of the women group from Basse said women face sexual and gender base violence and are also silent about such crimes.

She said sometimes family members or relatives discourage women from speaking against crimes meted out at them.

“The slow process of police investigation makes women to withdraw their case, stating that the authorities do not support victims adequately which results in their silence.

She also lamented that women are frequently arrested and kept in secret places by the former president’s agents for which they should come out and tell their stories.