How has The Gambia progressed in recognising CDWD rights: UPR Fact sheets

How has The Gambia progressed in recognising CDWD rights: UPR Fact sheets

The Gambia continues to grapple with deeply rooted caste and descent-based discrimination (DWD), a pervasive issue affecting marginalized communities across the country. Despite national and international commitments to eradicate such discrimination, systemic inequalities persist, particularly in education, gender equality, political representation, and protection from violence. Communities identified as “slave castes” face widespread stigma and exclusion-especially…

A silent crisis: Halimatou Ceesay’s powerful presentation exposes caste-based discrimination in The Gambia

A silent crisis: Halimatou Ceesay’s powerful presentation exposes caste-based discrimination in The Gambia

In The Gambia, a country often celebrated for its vibrant cultural diversity, an unspoken reality continues to plague thousands of people: caste-based discrimination, particularly against communities discriminated on work and descent (CDWD). Despite significant strides toward abolishing slavery and improving human rights, the shadow of descent-based oppression remains deeply entrenched, affecting every facet of life—from…

81st Ordinary Session of the ACHPR: Public Statement by Alima Taal

81st Ordinary Session of the ACHPR: Public Statement by Alima Taal

At the 81st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, The Gambia, GFoD senior rights expert Alima Taal delivered a powerful statement addressing a pressing concern in African societies: discrimination based on work and descent. Alima highlighted the caste systems ingrained within various ethnic groups across the continent,…

Témoignage – Rencontre avec un forgeron de la communauté Touareg au quartier Lossougoungou 

Témoignage – Rencontre avec un forgeron de la communauté Touareg au quartier Lossougoungou 

Je m’appelle Zeinabou, je suis Experte en Droit auprès du GFoD et je souhaite partager aujourd’hui une petite discussion avec un certain M. Obaz sur les droits de l’homme après une séance de formation sur l’utilisation de la DUDH pour sensibiliser les communautés discriminées en matière de travail et d’ascendance. Lossougoungou est un quartier de…

Testimonial – Meeting with a Blacksmith from the Tuareg community in Niger

Testimonial – Meeting with a Blacksmith from the Tuareg community in Niger

Editor’s note: Across West Africa, several ethnic groups, including the Tuareg, Wolof, Mandinka, Bambara, Fulani, Soninké, Hausa, and Zarma, maintain rigid social hierarchies often described as caste systems. In these societies, the ‘nobles’ are regarded as freeborn, while ‘slaves,’ descendants of captive slaves and the slave trade, continue to face discrimination and remain vulnerable to…