By Alagie Manneh
Police are investigating a case in Nema-Su involving a man who reportedly tied a young girl, said to be his niece, to a tree.
The news broke out Sunday with a picture posted by popular online news site What’s on Gambia showing the girl tied to a tree.
A neighbour quoted by the site said: “She was beaten and tied to a tree for over six hours by her uncle. The girl’s father also lives in the compound, but he is blind. Her mother was not at home at the time. This is not the first time this girl is being subjected to torture and inhuman treatment by her uncle. There was a day that she was flogged nearly to death.”
Police public relations officer ASP Binta Njie confirmed to The Standard that the case is being investigated.
The spokesperson declined to name the suspect in question, only saying: “I have not received the report yet. Let’s wait for the report.”
The incident shocked many Gambians who called for the alleged perpetrator to be brought to book.
Lamin Fatty, the National Coordinator of the Child Protection Alliance, likened the issue to a form of slavery.
“I felt heartbroken seeing those pictures of a child being subjected to slavery. We have spoken to the police and are waiting for them to complete their investigations,” he said.
Mr Fatty said the case demonstrates that child abuse is seemingly a common occurrence.
