While this isn’t our first quote from the International 2018 Trafficking In Persons report, we use it to demonstrate the Sexual Exploitation of children here in The Gambia, and because it is the only world wide consistent assessment done on every single country in the world.
There is an excellent, perhaps in part, even better and more specific Gambian Report on the Government in 2018 which we have listed top of our News page.
Meanwhile here we quote from the only independent international summary available to us and you.The Trafficking In Person report 2018:
“The government demonstrated minimal anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. The Gambia’s 2007 Trafficking in Persons Act prohibits all forms of trafficking and an October 2010 amendment increased the prescribed penalties to 50 years’ to life imprisonment for all forms of trafficking. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.
The Gambia’s 2005 Children’s Act also prohibits child trafficking—though it does not include forced labor in its definition of trafficking—prescribing a penalty of life imprisonment.
The 2003 Tourism Offenses Act prohibits child sex trafficking, prescribing a penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
The government initiated one investigation and one prosecution for labor trafficking during the reporting period; however, the government did not secure any convictions during the reporting period. Four prosecutions initiated in the previous reporting period remained pending; three of the suspects remained at large.
Sixteen law enforcement officials attended a training provided by an international organization; however, law enforcement officials generally continued to lack adequate training to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses.
Despite reports of official complicity, the government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in human trafficking offenses; additionally, law enforcement officers acting with impunity and corruption was a serious problem throughout the reporting period.“
Last year we laid a complaint with the police who promptly had a child rapist arrested. He is arraigned on Capital charges in Mile 2, a notorious prison. Our hope is that God will indeed have mercy on his soul
We are of course meeting regularly with survivors, journeying with them so they become strong survivors.