Image of The Impact of State Violence on Women During the 22 Years of Dictatorship in The Gambia

Feminist Studies

The Impact of State Violence on Women During the 22 Years of Dictatorship in The Gambia

Download PDF

This thesis investigates the gendered dynamics of dictatorship in The Gambia by exploring the impact of state sanctioned violence on women during former President Yahya Jammeh’s twenty-two years of tyranny in the country. During the two-decade long brutal reign under Jammeh, Gambians from all walks of lives faced gross human rights violations and abuses that inflicted collective national trauma on the population. Therefore, this project examines how Jammeh’s tyrannical rule affected women’s rights, health, and wellbeing. Using a content analysis approach coupled with semi-structured interviews with victims and survivors, I argue that although the dictatorship affected all sectors of the Gambian population, women were the most adversely impacted. Women did not only experienced torture and brutality from state agents but also encountered sexual and gender-based violence, leaving them with deep psychological scars that they are likely to live with for the rest of their lives. Grounded in Black feminist and postcolonial feminist theories and framework, I argue that the gendered nature of the violence experienced by women inspired them to be at the forefront of activism and resistance, thereby ending Jammeh’s brutal regime in the nation’s historic elections in December 2016. The study concludes with the implications for further research on violence prevention, and accountability and justice for victims and survivors of the regime.

Detail Information
Publication Information
: CUNY Academic Works.,
Number of Pages
-
ISBN
-
Language
English
ISSN
-
Subject(s)
Sexual Violence
state violence
transitional justice
history
Description
-
Citation
Other Information
Type
Article
Part Of Series
-
DOI Identifier
-
Related Publications

No Related Publications available

Comments