Study exposes fear, harassment as barriers facing women in politics
Source: The Point
Fear, harassment, and institutional silence continue to shape the political experience of women in The Gambia, a new study has revealed, exposing how violence, intimidation, and systemic neglect are undermining women’s participation and leadership in public life.
The findings, validated on Monday at a stakeholder workshop convened by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), highlighted violence against women in politics as a deeply entrenched barrier that silences voices, deters participation, and weakens democratic governance.
The validation exercise, held at the Bakadaji Hotel, brought together policymakers, National Assembly members, political party representatives, civil society organisations, and development partners to review and validate the findings of the study, which is expected to be officially launched in January 2026.
WFD opened its country office in The Gambia in 2018 with the aim of supporting the consolidation of democracy, with the National Assembly serving as its main partner and host institution. Globally, WFD works to promote political systems that are inclusive and accountable, ensuring that all citizens regardless of gender, origin, disability, ethnicity, or religion are able to participate meaningfully in political processes and hold leaders to account.
The Violence Against Women in Politics study is being implemented under WFD’s Women in Political Leadership (WPL) project, supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Gambia Inclusive and Accountable (GIA) Programme for 2025–2026.
Opening the workshop, the Country Director of WFD in The Gambia, Ms. Tobaski Njie Sarr, described the validation as a critical milestone in advancing democratic inclusion. She explained that independent consultants were contracted to carry out the research in order to ensure credibility and objectivity, drawing comparisons with WFD’s earlier study on the cost of politics in The Gambia.
Fear, harassment, and institutional silence continue to shape the political experience of women in The Gambia, a new study has revealed, exposing how violence, intimidation, and systemic neglect are undermining women’s participation and leadership in public life.
The findings, validated on Monday at a stakeholder workshop convened by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), highlighted violence against women in politics as a deeply entrenched barrier that silences voices, deters participation, and weakens democratic governance.
The validation exercise, held at the Bakadaji Hotel, brought together policymakers, National Assembly members, political party representatives, civil society organisations, and development partners to review and validate the findings of the study, which is expected to be officially launched in January 2026.
WFD opened its country office in The Gambia in 2018 with the aim of supporting the consolidation of democracy, with the National Assembly serving as its main partner and host institution. Globally, WFD works to promote political systems that are inclusive and accountable, ensuring that all citizens regardless of gender, origin, disability, ethnicity, or religion are able to participate meaningfully in political processes and hold leaders to account.
The Violence Against Women in Politics study is being implemented under WFD’s Women in Political Leadership (WPL) project, supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Gambia Inclusive and Accountable (GIA) Programme for 2025–2026.
Opening the workshop, the Country Director of WFD in The Gambia, Ms. Tobaski Njie Sarr, described the validation as a critical milestone in advancing democratic inclusion. She explained that independent consultants were contracted to carry out the research in order to ensure credibility and objectivity, drawing comparisons with WFD’s earlier study on the cost of politics in The Gambia.