WAVE Gambia

30/09/2026

Late Post 💥
On 31 August, with support from the Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF) The Fund for Global Human Rights, families, survivors and community members commemorated the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances through a candlelight memorial, interfaith reflections and powerful testimonies from families of disappeared persons. The commemoration provided a respectful space for remembrance and solidarity, recognising the continuing pain experienced by families who remain without definitive information about the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.

The event also served as a public advocacy platform, with participants calling for:

Truth and full disclosure regarding the fate and whereabouts of disappeared persons

Effective implementation of the TRRC recommendations on enforced disappearances

Prompt and impartial investigations into outstanding cases

State-supported identification, dignified management and return of exhumed remains

Meaningful reparations and psychosocial support for affected families

Guarantees of non-recurrence and stronger legal and institutional safeguards against enforced disappearance

The commemoration reaffirmed WAVE-Gambia's commitment to survivor-led advocacy, the right to truth, accountability, dignified treatment of victims and the full implementation of transitional justice measures in The Gambia. This initiative is implemented under the Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF) project with support from the Fund for Global Human Rights.

27/09/2026

Kudos 👌🏾

17/09/2026

17/09/2026

As football season kicks off, we often think about the players on the field and the injuries they endure. Repeated concussions can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head injuries.

Domestic violence victims often experience many of the same injuries, but instead of being caused by an opposing player during a game, they are inflicted by an intimate partner. Yet these injuries often receive far less attention.

Our latest blog explores why traumatic brain injuries are more than a football issue: https://bit.ly/3SZr1rY

15/09/2026

Important step forward for feminist reparations

13/09/2026

-GAMBIA Campaign Empowers 300 Women to Participate Safely in Politics

During 11 to 14 August 2026 WAVE-Gambia organised a three-day sensitisation campaign to promote safer, more inclusive political participation for women and to address violence against women in politics (VAWP) and hate speech in Fulladu District. The campaign reached 300 women across six (6) communities through a grant from Canada’s Foreign Policy—Global Affairs Canada - Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI). This is one of several initiatives funded by CFLI under the project titled - Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women in Politics and Hate Speech.

The programs in Lower Fulladu brought together women, community leaders, religious leaders, and representatives from the National Assembly, National Youth Council, security committees and other key stakeholders.

Understanding and Reporting VAWP was one of the topics of focus. Facilitators helped participants identify different forms of political violence and harassment, including bullying, intimidation, physical attacks, online abuse, and hate speech. Furthermore they condemned harassment and physical attacks against women in politics and urged women to stay united and vigilant.

Participants shared experiences of physical and online abuse and noted limited knowledge of reporting channels. They were informed that cases can be reported to WAVE-Gambia, women leaders, the police, and other community structures.

Using educational materials, community dialogue, Q&A sessions, and flyers with reporting contacts, women were shown where and how to report cases.

Ms. Gikineh, a participant, said harassment happens in communities but many women do not know where to report, whilst Ms. Bayo called for stronger support for female candidates and urged women to stand together in political activities. Alkalos, Imams, and Women Leaders expressed willingness to support local mechanisms to respond to VAWP.

Participants recommended:
1. Expanding the sensitisation to other districts
2. Strengthening police capacity to handle VAWP cases and establish focal persons at police stations
3. Improve referral systems through community leadership
4. Increase training for women on civic participation and digital safety

The Lower Fulladu campaign lays an important foundation for safer political spaces for women as we seek to expand the activities across various communities in The 🇬🇲 with a view to promoting women’s meaningful participation in The Gambia’s democratic process and combat VAWP and .

12/09/2026

During the week of 24 August 2026, WAVE-Gambia successfully conducted The Survivor Engagement and Leadership activities in Sabach Njien, Basse and Brikama Ba - aimed at strengthening survivor leadership, peer support, and meaningful participation in rehabilitation programming. The wider activities are designed to engage existing Executives of survivor and women support groups through their regular support group meetings. The meeting brought together 140 participants.

Group executives co-facilitated discussions on financial literacy and business management, mediation and conflict resolution, business strategies, , leadership, executive roles and responsibilities, and victim movement building. The activity strengthened survivor leadership, peer learning, group participation, and collective reflection on peaceful advocacy and support for survivors. The sessions also provided an opportunity for the Women Executives to share knowledge they have learnt and practice their skills in facilitation with the wider group.

These sessions were implemented as part of support by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark 🇩🇰 and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture (IRCT) Healing Together Grant, which focuses specifically on rehabilitation services for torture survivors and their relatives

In Sabach Njien, WAVE-Gambia also provided livelihood support to five men who shared that they were facing serious challenges during the current season. They explained that household food stocks are depleting while crops have not yet reached the harvesting stage. The support was therefore provided to help reduce immediate livelihood and food-security burdens while they wait for the harvest season.

12/09/2026

On 31 August 2026, WAVE-Gambia and partners convened a survivor-led Memorial and Reflection Programme at Alliance Française de Banjul to commemorate the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (30 August).

The programme brought together families of disappeared persons, survivors, civil-society organisations, government representatives, the Enforced Disappearance Task Force, the Special Prosecutor, the Chairman of the Reparations Commission, faith leaders, and cultural practitioners. It created a safe and dignified space for remembrance, testimony, collective healing, and advocacy for truth, justice, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence.

Why the Initiative Matters:
Enforced disappearance continues to affect families in The Gambia long after the initial violation. Many families remain without clear information about the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones and have been denied the opportunity to mourn, recover remains, and perform burial rites. The programme placed survivors and families at the centre of advocacy and accountability efforts. It recognised them not merely as witnesses or beneficiaries, but as rights-holders, knowledge holders, and partners in shaping The Gambia’s transitional-justice process.

The programme included:
Victim and family testimonies.
Candle-lighting and remembrance.
Muslim and Christian prayers.
Cultural performances.
Statements from accountability institutions.
Guided meditation and collective healing.
Public advocacy for implementation of TRRC recommendations.
Dialogue between families, civil society, and government representatives.
The participation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Enforced Disappearance Task Force enabled direct engagement between affected families and institutions responsible for investigation, prosecution, evidence preservation, and family support.

WAVE Gambia’s Board Chair, Madam Adelaide Sosseh’s solidarity message read by Ms. Ayeshah Harun Jammeh (Reparations Commissioner) emphasised that the people affected by enforced disappearance must never be reduced to names in a report or entries in a case file. She described the everyday human cost of disappearance, including unanswered questions, disrupted family life, and grief without closure. She also recognised the leadership of women, who have transformed personal loss into advocacy for truth and justice. Her call to government was for urgent and transparent implementation of the relevant TRRC recommendations, stressing that families have waited too long and that remembrance must be followed by concrete action.

The programme demonstrated that survivors are not passive recipients of justice. They are leading advocates, community organisers, witnesses, and partners in rebuilding truth and accountability. The Special Prosecutor’s commitment to dignity and transparency, the Task Force’s recognition of families as rights-holders, and WAVE-Gambia’s call for urgent action together provided a strong foundation for continued engagement.

Supporting WAVE-Gambia’s survivor-led advocacy will help ensure that remembrance leads to action, truth leads to justice, and no disappeared person or affected family is forgotten. With appreciation to National Endowment for Democracy, The Fund for Global Human Rights-Legal Empowerment Fund.

12/08/2026

WAVE-Gambia and CFLI Bring Together Grassroots Women and Women Leaders to Strengthen Political Participation and Counter Hate Speech in CRR

Fulla Bantang & Brikama Ba, Central River Region – The Women's Association for Women and Victims’ Empowerment (WAVE-Gambia), with support from the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), on Wednesday 12th August 2026 convened grassroots women and women leaders from Fulla Bantang and Brikama Ba communities in the Central River Region for a community engagement focused on women’s political participation and the prevention of hate speech.

The engagement is part of WAVE-Gambia’s broader effort to create safer and more inclusive spaces for women in politics, particularly as The Gambia prepares for the 2026 presidential and 2027 parliamentary elections.

Speaking during the opening, facilitators noted that women continue to face significant barriers to political participation, including intimidation, online and offline harassment, and the spread of hate speech during election periods. The dialogue aimed to equip women with practical tools to recognize, prevent, and respond to these challenges.

The day’s activities featured an interactive simulation exercise designed to help participants identify and respond to incidents of violence against women in politics and hate speech. This was followed by a listening and talking circle, where women shared lived experiences and jointly developed community-based strategies for prevention, early warning, and support.

“We want women to not only vote, but to lead, to speak, and to be protected while doing so,” a WAVE-Gambia facilitator told participants. “When women are targeted with hate or violence because of politics, the whole community loses.”

The three-day community outreach in CRR seeks to reach 300 women across the Lower Fulladu West District. Through peer learning and collective planning, WAVE-Gambia aims to build a network of women who can advocate for peaceful political engagement and stand against divisive rhetoric in their communities.

With support from CFLI, WAVE-Gambia is working to ensure that women’s voices are central in shaping a more peaceful, democratic, and inclusive political process ahead of the upcoming elections.
The Fund for Global Human Rights




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Independent Electoral Commission - IEC The Gambia