By: Nyima Sillah
The Country Director of Samaritana Gambia, Marian Faye, contended that The Gambia experienced an upsurge in child sex trafficking.
In an exclusive interview with this medium on Thursday, the Samaritana Country Director said “Every day children are trafficked to The Gambia for sex work. Our justice system is slow and our authorities are very weak in doing their work. If they do their job as expected and set tough examples, these traffickers will not have the chance to bring girls into the country, while the number will at least reduce.”
She claimed that authorities like NAATIP always received complaints from victims but after arresting them, they would only detain them for 24 hours and release them. This, she said, opens gates for more perpetrators to continue the business as they see no seriousness in the justice system.
“I have evidence of many cases and I bet our authorities in charge are not making any efforts to combat the issues of trafficking. Most of the victims pass through the Gambian Airport. Where are the immigration officers,” she asked.
Madam Njie disclosed “Most immigration officers have contact with the madams as they voluntarily pay their airport fees and arrange taxis to pick them up at the airport.”
She stated that most of the victims are Nigerians and they are usually taken to Basse so that it can be easy for them to exploit them, adding there are only a few cases around Kombo.
“I currently have five of them, three at the government shelter and two with me because the shelter is full that’s why they cannot be there. Since I started working from 2016 to date the number of victims I received directly is over eighteen victims and they are all teenagers. The authorities should focus more on border controls and prosecutions rather than organizing frequent workshops,” she asserted.
The Samaritana Country Director further stated that IOM cannot be returning victims all the time because the more they return the more they have victims coming, suggesting that border control should be the utmost priority to minimize trafficking.
According to NAATIP’s 2024 report, she said, traffickers exploit women, girls, and boys in sex trafficking and forced labor.
