Nest Foundation’s Ya Kumba has challenged the Gambian government to take the issues of rape earnestly and take necessary actions to cases as soon as possible.

The foundation which is against gender-based violence said, rape and spousal rape continues to be a far-flung predicament in the Gambia; although penalty for rape is life in imprisonment.

Victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence who report to police are being blamed and usually face stigmatisation and humiliation, the foundation said.

The group is particularly angered by the recent alleged rape incident in Lamin involving a 9-year-old girl. The foundation urged the government to thoroughly probe into this issue without delay and ensure that justice is served.

“Gambian women have had enough of the government’s abject failure to address repeated rape and sexual assaults. The government needs to finally make good on its empty promises and heed activists’ calls to take meaningful action to combat sexual violence and to support survivors,” the group’s chief executive director, Ya Kumba Sarr said.

The group broach their worry over the current rise of rape cases in the Gambia.

“We have particular interests in the case of the 9-year-old girl raped in Lamin by a 40-year-old man. We did approach the parents of the victim and got first-hand information and visited the Child protection department to lodge a complaint but it’s almost one month after the incident and the case is still not prosecuted,” she lamented.

The group however, understands that the alleged rapist is still in custody. It’s reported to us that the girl’s mother has spent almost  D3000 buying medications for her daughter.  Since the incident occurred, the girl has not been going to school as she has not fully recovered yet.

“We are aware of the uncomfortable situation the girl is currently in and we appeal to the Police high command to handle the case with all seriousness, because justice delayed is justice denied. We also appeal to the Ministry of children’s affairs to double up its efforts in the fight against sexual violence,” the group said.

The Foundation further urged the Child Protection Alliance (CPA) to put pressure on government to make sure that rape cases are seriously captivated and dealt with.

“At our level, we will continue to follow up the case to make sure that the victim has the justice she deserves,” they concluded.

 

Fatimah Sonko