Africa-Press – Gambia. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in partnership with Child Fund and UNFPA, on Monday opened a three-day capacity-building training for municipal and area council police officers from Banjul City Council, (BCC), Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), and Brikama Area Council (BAC).
The training aims to strengthen the law enforcement officers’ knowledge and skills in human rights, child protection, and gender-sensitive policing. It comes at a time when The Gambia has expanded its legal framework to better protect vulnerable groups, including women, children, and persons with disabilities.
Speaking at the opening, NHRC boss Emmanuel Joof, welcomed participants and underscored the importance of professionalism in law enforcement.
He highlighted the recent reforms such as the Children’s, Women’s, Persons with Disabilities, and the revised 2025 Criminal Offences Acts, which introduces stricter penalties for sexual and gender-based violence as positive gains.
“As municipal and area council officers, you carry great responsibility in enforcing the law and interacting daily with citizens. This requires not only knowledge of the law but also professionalism, child-friendly and gender-sensitive approaches, and respect for fundamental rights,” he said.
According to the NHRC chairman, the training will focus on three main areas including; understanding relevant laws, developing gender-sensitive and child-friendly approaches, and strengthening referral pathways between law enforcement, the NHRC, the Ministry of Justice, and other stakeholders.
”Participants will also take part in role-plays, case studies, and group discussions to share practical experiences.”
Mr Joof stressed that the overall goal is to build public trust and confidence in local policing.
Sunkung Danso, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at Childfund noted the UN organisation’s long-standing role in child protection dating back in 1984.
He explained that the training is part of efforts to ensure children grow in safe environments. He emphasised that laws protecting children must be implemented.
“Africa is often criticised for enacting strong laws but failing to implement them,” he said.
The training, supported by UNFPA, is expected to equip officers with practical tools to address child protection, gender-based violence, and community policing in a manner that respects human rights and builds stronger relationships between law enforcement and the public.
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