By Yunus S Saliu
Barely one month of an article published by The Sun online titled ‘Inside‘ paedo paradise ’The Gambia where sex beasts are buying African children and toddlers to rape,’ the authorities have declared the article to be ‘malicious based on misinformation and mischaracterization of the facts.’
This declaration was made Monday, 17th February through the Minister of Women and Children Welfare, Honorable Fatou Kinteh at a joint press briefing organized by the Ministries of Tourism and Culture; Information and Communications Infrastructure and Women and Children Affairs. The briefing was held at the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Banjul.
Honorable Kinteh reminded the general public of the government’s commitment as a party to various international treaties which among them include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, African charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child among other that government has invested heavily in the promotion and protection of the rights of children in The Gambia.
The Minister reassured that that the Children’s Act 2005 protects all the children in The Gambia and place a duty on everyone to report to either the police or department of Social Welfare any case of child abuse or the violations of the right of any child that he or she is aware of.
Noted that “the Act expressly prohibits sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child in any form or to keep a brothel or allow a child to be in brothels.”
Tourism Offences Act,” she said “strictly prohibits unlawful sexual advances to a child, procurement of a child for sex, child pornography and indecent acts by tourists among other offences.”
Minister Kinteh however disclosed that the government of The Gambia through Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare together with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has taken a firm stand against Child Sex Tourism in The Gambia and measures are in place to protect children most especially in the tourism sector.
“There is zero tolerance for child abuse or child exploitation and any person found wanting will face the full force of the law,” she warned.