Black Tuesday Movement, a group advocating for Justice for victims of Sexual crimes, has on Monday June 22, 2020 urged the Government and donor community in Sierra Leone to establish a forensic lab and testing facility in the country to effectively prosecute perpetrators of sexual offences and prevent the punishment of those who could be wrongly convicted of such crimes.
In their view providing such a facility will scale up the work of the Rainbo and Aberdeen Momen’s Centre, and other relevant service providers in the country.
The Movement made this call amidst public outcry over the death of a five-year-old Khadijah Madinatu Saccoh who allegedly had been raped before being killed. The death of Khadijah Madinatu Saccoh has raised outcry on social media. Civil Society Organizations, rights groups and citizens on June 22, 2020, engaged in a peaceful demonstration calling for justice against the perpetrators of the heinous crime. On Wednesday June 17, 2020, five year-old victim was brought to the outpatient department of Choithram Memorial Hospital, and according to the hospital, the doctors examined the child thoroughly and found no sign of life and the child was declared as “brought dead”.
The police have arrested four people allegedly connected to her killing, and her autopsy report lists manual strangulation (asphyxial death), spinal cord injury, bitten tongue, vaginal and anal dilatation, finger nail excoriation, fracture of cervical vertebrae among others as the causes of her death.
According to the Sierra Leone Police Crime Statistics for the year 2019, there were 3, 253 Sexual Penetration and 145 Rape cases. Despite Government commitment in prosecuting perpetrators, the lack of a one-stop forensic lab is hindering investigations of sexual offences and causing an increase in its occurrences in the country.
The Movement, in an emergency statement, said that the services of a Forensic Lab is critical, lifesaving and life sustaining, “but that it continues to be underfunded is an act of vandalism on the lives and bodies of girls and women”.
The Movement urged government to significantly increase resources, including professional training personnel of the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police, boost its capacity to efficiently investigate allegations of sexual offences in the country.
They call on government to designate specific courts to fast track hearings on rape cases. “It is simply unacceptable in a practicing democracy that women and girls-even once the yhave made it through our punitive police system- are waiting for up to 4 or 5 years, to have cases against their abusers heard. Dedicated, Specialist courts for rape and sexual violence related crimes as piloted to great success in other countries- are needed in at least all of our 15 districts. Legal aid for survivors must be included,” they added. In the light of the COVID-19 crisis and shifting development priorities, we call on the Donor community to reaffirm their commitment to women and girls and to ring fence resources proportionate to the scale of the challenge – the emergency that girls are facing,” they said.
They called on the government to make a comprehensive service for survivors of Rape and other forms of sexual violence, available free of charge at the point of contact for every girl and woman, noting that beyond these immediate interventions to support survivors of violence, they must make the commitments needed to transform the culture of sexual violence at its root. “A National taskforce on tackling rape and sexual violence announced by the President at his United Nations Speech last September to lead a citizens’ co-created national action plan would be one way forward. What is clear is that there is no way forward without the women and girls who have been organizing around this issue in the community for decades,” they emphasized. At his fourth press conference on covid-19, Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio totally condemned the continued incidents of rape, sexual, and gender-based violence in this country.
“The depravity of sexual violence is obscene, criminal, and totally objectionable. As a Government, we stand with the survivors, victims, and their loved ones, and my Government will vigorously prosecute cases and bring all perpetrators to justice. My Government is committed to providing support for survivors and the First Lady, myself, and my Government urge every Sierra Leonean to join in raising awareness, advocating, and standing up to rid this country of this menace. My Government is committed to equal protection and justice, inclusive development, and equal access to opportunity for every Sierra Leonean especially women who constitute 51% of our population,” President Bio emphasized.
The Movement disclosed that it was working urgently to scope the establishment of a Survivors Fund for women and girls in honour of Kadijah and many other girls and women unknown who had been victims of Sexual crimes. “We ask those who stand with us to work with us to co-create a survivor-led fund to mobilize critical resources for frontline services and to individual survivors. The time is now, we can no longer wait another moment,” they emphasized.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Alfred Lahai said in a statement that, the Ministry is fully aware of the degree of rape cases in the country, especially with the most recent case of sexual penetration of Khadija which resulted in her death.
He said the Ministry condemns the act and demands justice for the family of the deceased, adding that while the Ministry remained committed to seeking the welfare of vulnerable groups, the need to build a concerted approach to end violence against women and girls becomes extremely critical.
On behalf of the Ministry, he sounded the Ministry’s appeal for the public to remain calm, and assured that government would take all appropriate measures to address the sad development.
By Stephen V. Lansana
26/6/2020. ISSUE NO.:7854