By Omar Bah
The leader of the Gambia Moral Congress, Mai Fatty has said that the rape allegations labeled against former President Yahya Jammeh and Melville Roberts must be aggressively pursued.
“I vehemently condemn rape, sexual abuse and the allegations against individuals and public officials must be thoroughly investigated, and where proven, swift prosecution must be effected,” Fatty said in a write-up shared with The Standard.
The two were accused of rape by different young Gambian girls. The APRC has since rejected the allegation and accused western media of a deliberate campaign to smear the name of the party and former president Jammeh, whiles Roberts who has since been suspended by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is said to have denied raping anybody.
My Fatty continued: “We assure that there will be prosecution upon evidence, and there will be no hiding place in The Gambia for rape or attempted rape. Rapists belong in prison.
We must protect the vulnerable and defend the integrity of their persons.
I am gravely concerned beyond description.
Rape leaves a victim with a life time of trauma and scars, particularly girls and young women.”
He further stated said the national assembly must legislate longer term sentence with hard labour for proven rapists, and require all such convicts for long term rehabilitation.
“Rape and sexual abuse victims deserve our care, love and compassion,” he concluded.
