Haddijatou Ceesay is a Gambian Muslim, researcher, writer and social justice advocate with expertise and significant experience in research, project management and advocacy, primarily focusing on education policy, youth empowerment, public health, and gender.
She holds a doctorate from City, University of London; where her research centered on sexual and reproductive health education policy for young people. She has extensive experience working with survivors of various forms of gender-based violence (GBV) including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), child marriages and sexual violence.
Dr Ceesay is a Program Manager at HEART, and served in a consultant role for HEART since 2017. She has consulted for other agencies, including the United Nations Populations Fund, the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, and the Population Council. Prior to this, she was part of an inter-agency committee that worked with the African Union’s (AU) campaign to end child marriage, and successfully lobbied to pass a law to ban child marriage in The Gambia.
Dr Ceesay co founded the #SaveGambianWomen initiative, an online repository for documenting violence against women cases in The Gambia. She is a firm believer of activism through digital spaces for the global amplification of women’s voices. She is a co-author of HEART’s first publication, The Sex Talk: A Muslim’s Guide to Health Sex and Relationships.
