Mapping and Analysis of the Laws of The Gambia From a Gender Perspective: Towards Reversing Discrimination in Law

In 2019, the Government of The Gambia initiated a a mapping and analysis of its national laws from a gender perspective. The process formed a critical component of its democratic and transitional justice and legislative reforms.  The analysis reviews the 1997 Constitution, statutes and corresponding legislative and legal instruments in the form of regulations, orders, guidelines, directives as well as case law.  The review was guided primarily by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, various International Labour Organization Conventions and other instruments.  These global and regional norms and standards constitute a charter of rights for women and girls in Africa and therefore served as the measuring rod of progress being made by the Government of The Gambia in fulfilling its obligations towards women and girls. It is furthermore grounded in “Equality in Law for Women and Girls by 2030: A Multistakeholder Strategy for Accelerated Action”, a global framework and plan of action for eliminating gender discriminatory laws.  The Strategy was launched by UN Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the African Union, the Commonwealth, Internationale de la Francophonie, the Secretaría General Ibero-Americana, the International Development Law Organization and other institutions at the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2019 to serve as a framework for accelerated action on eliminating de jure discrimination.