Attorney General and Minister of Justice

MARIE SAINE FIRDAUS
Attorney General and Minister of Justice

CURRICULUM VITAE

PERSONAL INFORMATION

NAME:	Marie Saine Firdaus
DATE OF BIRTH:	25th April 1973
NATIONALITY:	Gambian
GENDER:	Female
E-MAIL:	sukamie@yahoo.com or msaine@hotmail.com

EDUCATION

Jan-Dec 2005, LLM, Human Rights & Democratisation in Africa, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria , Republic of South Africa .

1996-2000, LL.B. (Hons), International Islamic University , Malaysia .

1992-1994, GCE A'LEVELS, Saint Augustine 's High School, The Gambia.

1987-1992, GCE O'LEVELS, Saint Joseph 's High School, The Gambia.

OTHER TRAINING

Certificate in Good Governance, Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa, 4-15 July 2005.

Certificate in Election Observation, Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa, 23 -27 July 2005.

Certificate in International Law, Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa, 24 January- 4 February 2005.

Diploma in Regional Trade Policy, World Trade Organisation in collaboration with the University of Nairobi, Kenya, 13 April - 2 July 2004.

Certificate in Project Proposal Writing and Presentation Skills, Management Development Institute (MDI), The Gambia , 3 – 6 June 2003.

Certificate in Election Observation and Human Rights Monitoring, Institute for Human Rights, Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland, 27-31May 2002.

Certificate in Copyright and Related Rights, WIPO Academy, Geneva, Switzerland and Helsinki , Finland respectively, 4 -15 November 2002.

Certificate in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, World Health Organization, The Gambia, 5 -8 November 2001.

WORK EXPERIENCE

2000 - 2003	-	State Counsel
2004 – 2005	-	Senior State Counsel
2006	-	Principal State Counsel
Jan - May 2007	-	Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecution
May - September 2007	-	Technical Adviser, Office of the President
September 2007 to Date	-	Attorney General & Minister of Justice

Other Responsibilities held at the Attorney General's Chambers (September 2000-May 2007)

- Coordinator of the Task Force for the preparation of The Gambia's Periodic Report to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and UNCRC Committee .

- Contact Person for Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal matters within the Commonwealth

- Desk officer, National Hajj Commission

- Member of the Child Protection Technical Advisory Committee

- Assistant Coordinator of the Child Rights Unit

- Focal Point on Trafficking in Persons

- Desk Officer, DFID Legal Capacity Building Programme

INTERNSHIP

October – November 2005, Intern at International Organisation for Migration( Mozambique )

International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Av. Maguiguana No. 474, Maputo, Mozambique

CONFERENCE, MEETINGS and SEMINARS ATTENDED

ECOWAS Trafficking in Persons Strategic Planning Workshop for National Task Forces, 28 May -1 June, 2007, Accra, Ghana.

41st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, 16 – 30 May 2007, Accra, Ghana.

Meeting of Commonwealth Network of Contact Persons, London organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat, 27 - 28 February 2007.

Regional training workshop on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) organised by International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal, 17 – 19 January 2007, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso .

Seminar on WTO Dispute Settlement Processes and Procedures for English Speaking African Countries, 11-15 December 2006, Windhoek, Namibia.

40th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Banjul The Gambia, 15 – 29 November 2006.

African Women Lawyers Association Regional Consultative Meeting organised in collaboration with ECOWAS Gender Development Centre and UNIFEM, Banjul 1- 4 November 2006.

Regional Meeting on ‘Women and the Law' organised by Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Dakar, Senegal 3 - 5 July 2006.

39th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Banjul The Gambia, 11 – 25 May 2006.

Workshop of Lawyers and Legislators: O Trafico de Seres Humanos na Africa Sustral: Um Seminario para Profissionais Legais e Legisladores, Maputo, organized by International Organisation for Migration, 15 November 2005.

International Visitors Programme – ‘US Judicial System' organised by US State Department, Washington D.C., USA , 18 November – 9 December 2004.

Meeting of Senior Officials of Commonwealth Law Ministries, Marlborough House, London organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat, 18-20 October 2004.

Post Abuja Conference on Trafficking in Persons in West Africa organised by International Human Rights Law Group, Lome, Togo, 4-9 April 2004.

Second Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court, United Nations Headquarters in New York with Full Powers to participate in the deliberations and vote in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, 8 -12 September 2003.

Meeting on Path Breaking Strategies in the Global Fight Against Sex Trafficking, Washington D.C., U.S.A. organized by the U.S. State Department, 23 - 26 February 2003.

Joint ECOWAS/UNODC Regional Meeting of Experts on Trafficking in Person, Lome, Togo, 2 -3 February 2003.

Sub-Regional Ministerial Seminar to support the ratification of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols, Ouagadougou, Burkinafaso, 28 -30 November 2001.

Judicial Colloquium on Locus Standi in Administrative Justice and Human Rights Enforcement, The Gambia, organized by the Institute for Human Rights and Development, 8 - 9 October 2001.

PAPERS PRESENTED

“The Children's Act 2005: Overview and Resource Implications for Effective Implementation”at a workshop for National Assembly Members, organised by Child Protection Alliance, 10th July 2007.

“International and National Laws on Trafficking in Persons” at a workshop for Law Enforcement Officers organised by Child Rights Unit, Department of State for Justice, 20 December 2006.

“Relationship Between International Law and Municipal Law and Child Protection Laws of The Gambia” at a workshop for SOS Staff, organised by the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, 7 December 2006.

“Local and International Laws and Conventions Protecting Juveniles in Detention” at a workshop for Prison Officers organised by Department of Social Welfare, 24 August 2006.

“Media, Children and The Children's Act 2005” at a workshop for Media Practitioners on the Theme ‘Responsible Reporting of Child Protection Issues' organised by Child Protection Alliance, 16th August 2006.

“Child Trafficking: Global and National Trend” at the second Bantaba of “Voice of the Young” organised by Child Protection Alliance, 31 July 2006.

“Planning for Negotiations” at the ECOWAS-TNCB Course, organised in collaboration with the Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment and The University of the Gambia, 25 July 2006.

“The WTO Clothing and Textiles Agreement” at the ECOWAS-TNCB Course, organised in collaboration with the Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment and The University of the Gambia, 24 July 2006.

“Trade Dispute Settlement” at the ECOWAS-TNCB Course, organised in collaboration with the Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment and The University of the Gambia, 12 July 2006.

“The Children's Act: What Are Its Provisions?” at a workshop for Child Protection Working Group organised by Child Protection Alliance, 8 May 2006.

“The law on Torture in Criminal Prosecutions” at a workshop for Police Prosecutors organised by Department of State for Justice, 27 - 28 February 2006.

“Juvenile Justice Delivery System: The law on Pre-trial process and its challenges” at a workshop for Prosecuting State Counsel organised by Department of State for Justice, 27 -28 February 2006.

LANGUAGES

English: Excellent with full working knowledge.

French: Knowledge of written and spoken French.

Portuguese: Basic knowledge of written and spoken Portuguese.

MEMBERSHIP TO OTHER BODIES

Member, The Gambia Bar Association.

Member, Female Lawyers Association, The Gambia (FLAG).

Vice Chairperson, Child Protection Alliance Board.

PUBLISHED WORKS

The New Law on Juvenile Justice in the Gambia –Article 40, Community Law Centre, Children's Rights Project, Vol. 7 No. 4 December 2005.

The Impact of Gambia's Environmental Policy on Women and Children – Foundation for Research on Women's Health, Productivity and the Environment Newsletter, “The Well Woman”, July –December 2003 issue.

HOBBIES

Reading, writing, watching TV, traveling and cooking.