Navigating Pushback: Building Resilience to Safeguard the Child Rights Agenda
Transferable lessons from The Gambia on preventing the repeal of the anti-FGM law
About
Pushback against children’s rights is on the rise worldwide, threatening hard-won gains in child protection, education, and health, and limiting children’s ability to fully realize their rights. The pushback is also manifesting in legal and political arenas, as was the case in The Gambia, where the 2015 Women’s (Amendment) Act, which criminalized female genital mutilation, faced repeal efforts in 2024 after the first conviction under it sparked public debate. Collective action by government, civil society, women leaders, survivors, religious figures, youth, UN agencies, and international partners helped in successfully defending the law.
This paper highlights transferable lessons from these efforts. It provides insights into addressing similar challenges in advancing child rights globally. The paper examines the key early warning signs, challenges, and lessons learned from The Gambia—offering recommendations for strategies to safeguard children’s rights in the face of pushback.
