Honourable Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, Speaker of the National Assembly has said that, The Gambia government is highly committed to the fight against the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, wherever they take place, whether in the home, community or tourism industry.

The National Assembly Speaker made these remarks last Friday during the celebration of the second annual bantaba of the Voice of the Young Children’s Association, held at the KMC conference hall.

Hon. Jahumpa Ceesay said government would continue to put children high on its political and development agenda.  She recalled the enactment of the Children’s Act 2005 and the Tourism Offenses Act 2003, which provides a legal frame work for the protection of children from sexual exploitation by Gambians and non-Gambians alike.

“The Gambia Tourism Authority is working very hard to ensure that children benefit from tourism but are also protected from its negative effects.  These and other giant steps that we have taken are unambiguous manifestations of the fervent desire of our political leadership to protect our children from abuse, violence and exploitation,” she revealed.

Speaker FJC assured the children that under the dynamic and visionary leadership of President Yahya Jammeh, the sky is the limit for children in The Gambia.  She then expressed sincere thanks and appreciations to Save the Children, Sweden, the sponsor of the tournament.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Marie Saine Firdaus, CPA Vice-Chairperson, who noted that, child sex tourism is one of the global human rights tragedies that the world is grappling with today. This, she noted involves people who travel from their country to another and engage in commercial sex acts with children.

She then announced that, it is estimated that every year, over a million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade, and The Gambia is no exception. “In The Gambia, children are being exposed to this phenomenon directly or indirectly through third parties, some of whom are family members,” she concluded.