10 December 2025, Metzy Hotel
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 2025
Theme: “Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials”
Today, we, the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice, Gambians Against Looted Assets and Activista join the global community and Gambians in particular to commemorate International Human Rights Day 2025 under the theme “Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials.” This day reminds us that rights are not abstract ideals, but the daily conditions that allow every human being to live in dignity, safety, equality, and freedom.
It is in light of this objective that we have jointly organized this convergence – The People Power Forum – that brings together citizens, civil society organizations, policymakers, and stakeholders to reflect on the state of human rights, governance, and accountability in The Gambia. It provides a platform for open dialogue, evidence-based analysis, and collective action toward strengthening democratic institutions and protecting fundamental rights. By convening diverse voices from communities, youth groups, the media, academia, and public institutions, the forum seeks to deepen understanding, build partnerships, and generate practical solutions for advancing justice, transparency, and the rule of law. Through this engagement, participants reaffirm their shared commitment to building a society where rights are respected, services are delivered, and leaders are held accountable to the people.
Following 22 years of a brutal dictatorship, Gambians demonstrated extraordinary courage and determination in 2016 to end the Yaya Jammeh regime with the promise of Never Again and the hope of building a truly democratic society. Over the past nine years, citizens across communities, civil society, the media, academia, religious spaces, the private sector, and political parties have continued to stand up to defend their rights and fulfil their duties. Gambians have demanded accountability, transparency, and better public services advancing democracy through their active citizenship.
We acknowledge and commend the Government of The Gambia for measures taken to promote and protect rights, including the enactment of progressive laws such as the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act 2023, the Access to Information Act 2021, and the Persons with Disabilities Act 2021. We also recognize the establishment of vital institutions such as the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare in 2019, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 2019 and the Information Commission in 2024, along with ongoing legal and institutional reforms.
However, we are deeply concerned about growing trends that undermine these gains.
- The politicization and weaponization of public institutions, especially law enforcement and justice-sector agencies, continue to result in unlawful arrests, selective application of justice, and violations of rights with impunity.
- The persistent poor delivery of basic social services has deprived citizens of essential opportunities for a decent standard of living.
- The widespread prevalence of corruption and abuse of power across both central and local government levels remains the greatest threat to the country’s peace, unity, and progress. Corruption erodes public trust, deepens inequality, and undermines access to everyday essentials that are themselves human rights.
We deplore the fact that despite the Constitution and other enabling laws, the government has not demonstrated sufficient political will to ensure transparency, accountability, and ethical public governance.
As we mark this day, poverty, deprivation, the high cost of living, and rampant unemployment continue to impose severe socioeconomic hardship on Gambians. These conditions fuel injustices and widen inequality, threatening national cohesion. The greatest driver of this hardship is corruption not only through the misappropriation of public resources, but through the persistent disregard of law, due process, and ethical standards by those entrusted to manage public affairs.
On this important occasion, we remind the Government and all state institutions of their legal, moral, and political obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights. We urge:
- The Executive to enforce all laws without fear or favour, affection or ill-will, and to do so with impartiality, efficiency, and integrity.
- The National Assembly to strengthen its oversight role to prevent waste of public resources and ensure that institutions deliver essential services with professionalism.
- The Judiciary to guarantee access to justice and ensure timely, fair, and independent adjudication in accordance with the Constitution and international human rights standards.
These three arms of the state must remember their constitutional duty under Section 17 and Chapter 4 to ensure the full protection of human rights for every Gambian.
