A silent crisis: Halimatou Ceesay 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 education to religious practice, and even basic human dignity. This isn't just a historical footnote; it's a living reality for many who are marginalised because of their caste, a system that continues to enslave families generation after generation.

Halimatou Ceesay, a rights expert for the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD) in The Gambia, spoke at the African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights, bringing the issue to light. “In The Gambia, communities continue to endure caste-based discrimination that mirrors the institutionalized slavery of our past. These communities remain voiceless and largely neglected by the state, even as their children are being denied basic rights, including education,” she said. 

One such community, she pointed out, exists in Ballingho Village, a fishing and farming village in the North Bank Region, about 10 kilometres from Farafenni, a town in The Gambia on the Trans-Gambia Highway just south of the border with Senegal.

In Ballingho, children who complete their primary education face insurmountable challenges when trying to attend upper and senior secondary schools. The lack of accessible schools, compounded by poor road networks and the prohibitive costs of living in Farafenni, forces many children to drop out. The women of the village expressed their concerns during a visit in July: “We are worried about the alarming dropout rate among our children because we simply cannot afford to place them with relatives or send them to schools far away,” she added. 

According to Ceesay, this is not an isolated issue. In the Upper River Region (URR) villages of Garawol and Koina, children from the Gambanaxu community, who are stigmatized as “slaves” by the dominant caste, are not allowed to attend the village's Islamic schools. These children are also barred from entering mosques to pray. Ceesay recounts a brutal incident in one of these villages where a man from the Gambanaxu community was tied up, beaten, and filmed inside a mosque by members of the dominant caste. “He was humiliated in front of the entire village, and his suffering did not end there. His wife divorced him because the shame was too much for her to bear,” she explained. 

Despite these atrocities, the Gambanaxu community fights back, erecting their own mosques and schools after facing arson, humiliation, and exclusion. Yet, the psychological scars remain. “Even though the government schools are open to all, the reality is that children from these oppressed communities are forced to endure constant social ostracism, making their educational journey even more difficult,” Ceesay said in her presentation. 

The discrimination extends to even the most sacred of traditions: burial rites. In the village of Baddibu Kerewan in the North Bank Region, there are two separate cemeteries—one for the dominant caste and one for the so-called “lower caste.” When Ceesay visited the village to witness this segregation firsthand, locals were hesitant to show her the graves, a testimony to the enduring social tension between castes.

A similar form of discrimination is observed in Missira, a Fula village near the Gambia-Senegal border. Here, the village is split between the dominant caste and the so-called “Macudo” (slave) caste. The imam, always chosen from the dominant caste, leads prayers for both groups, and there is an unspoken but enforced understanding that only those from the dominant caste can hold leadership positions in religious affairs. “The division may not always be explicit, but the social hierarchy is clear—no one from the lower caste would ever dream of challenging these age-old customs,” she said. 

The right to education is enshrined in numerous international human rights conventions. UNESCO calls education “a basic human right that lifts people out of poverty and reduces inequalities.” However, in rural Gambia, caste-based discrimination is a significant barrier to education for CDWD children. “These children often walk miles to attend under-resourced schools, lacking proper learning materials, water, electricity, and staff quarters. The situation is dire, and most girls from CDWD communities are married off before they even complete primary education, despite laws banning child marriage,” Ceesay explained. 

The Global Slavery Index 2023 estimates that over 16,000 people in Gambia—about 6.5 out of every 1,000 people—live in conditions akin to modern slavery. Although slavery was officially abolished in The Gambia, descent-based slavery persists. “The enslaved-caste groups may not be shackled in chains, but they are prisoners of an unjust system that continues to marginalize and exclude them from society.”

Artisan-caste groups, although considered free-born, also suffer discrimination due to their occupation. This occupational hierarchy is rooted in caste and places them in a perpetual state of socio-economic inferiority. “Whether enslaved or free-born, the reality for these people is the same: systemic exclusion and the stigma of impurity by birth.”

The marginalization of these communities makes them especially vulnerable to modern slavery and human trafficking. “Many victims of trafficking in The Gambia come from impoverished families, and CDWD communities, marked by low development indicators, are disproportionately affected. The link between caste and modern slavery is undeniable,” Ceesay said.

Child labour remains a serious issue, with children from CDWD communities particularly at risk. “In Gambia, children only achieve 40% of their full potential, and for CDWD children, the figure is likely much lower. Many of these children are subjected to street begging, agricultural work, and exploitation in Quranic boarding schools, where they are forced to beg for their daily survival,” Ceesay noted. 

Across the globe, over 260 million people are victims of discrimination based on work and descent. In South Asia, Dalit communities face similar challenges; in Japan, the Burakumin; in Europe, the Roma; and in Brazil, the Quilombola. In West Africa, communities like the Haratine in Mauritania and the Jaam in Wolof societies experience similar discrimination.

“These communities live under a social structure that devalues their humanity and traps them in exploitative and menial occupations,” Ceesay emphasised, adding that the CDWD, face lifelong discrimination—marked by the stigma of impurity, denied access to public spaces, and deprived of civil, political, economic, and social rights.”

Ceesay's appeal to the African Commission was clear: “I urge the NGO Forum to call upon the African Commission to form a working group to address caste-based discrimination in The Gambia decisively. We can no longer stand idly by while generations are enslaved and marginalized. The time for action is now.”

Ceesay concluded by saying that, caste-based discrimination in The Gambia is a silent crisis that continues to oppress and marginalise entire communities. The plight of the CDWD is a human rights emergency, and the world must take notice. “These are not just communities relegated to the past. They are our neighbours, our children, and they deserve the same rights and dignity as every other citizen in The Gambia,” Ceesay said.