By George M.O. Williams
Five teenage girls between the ages of 11 and 15 were intercepted and taken to the Motema Police Division, Kono District by stakeholders of Koquima Town, Tankoro Chiefdom, according to John Smith, the Senior Social Service Officer, Ministry of Social Welfare in Kono.
The victims were allegedly trafficked by their grandfather, according to the police.
The Police further said that two of the victims are from Western Area Rural District and the other three are from Koinadugu District.
Report from the Police revealed that having interrogated them, the victims revealed that the alleged perpetrator is their grandfather who promised to migrate with them to The Gambia to help them continue their education and improve their livelihoods.
The perpetrator is being detained and is helping the police with investigation.
“Presently, all the victims are going through serious psychological difficulties even though our social workers are providing them with psychosocial first aid services. They are not doing well emotionally because of the stress and stigma after seeing the complainants who are visiting the police station and even some resident who were around their residence at the time of their arrest,” the Police said.
The police cited that feeding and maintenance of the victims remain a serious challenge as they are constrained with fund.
In that regard, one of the stakeholders in the Koquima town has already provided the victims with shelter, but the police reported that the condition of the shelter is not conducive for holding the children, especially during the rains.
However, they remain hopeful that temporal placement will be provided for the victims until they are transferred to Freetown or Makeni while investigations continue.