By Sylvester Massaquoi in Pujehun
Police in Pujehun District have arrested and detained a man from Ngeyawamie Village in Barri Chiefdom on suspicion of sexually penetrating a 3-year old girl.
Assistant Superintendent John Squire, the Community Relations and Media officer at Pujehun Police Division told Politico that on August 24, 2023, a report was made to the Family Support Unit by one Hawa Kengo, the mother of the alleged victim. The woman told the police that on the evening of Tuesday 22nd August 2023 she discovered that her daughter had been sexually abused and penetrated by a 27-year-old man from the same village.
According to ASP Squire, a police officer accompanied the alleged victim and her mother to the One Stop Centre at the Pujehun Government Hospital where a medical examination was done.
He said, "We have now completed our investigations and we are expecting the file very soon from the State Council with advice on how to proceed.” He urged local authorities not to attempt to compromise the case.
Hawa Kengo told Politico that “this incident has caused my daughter some emotional trauma” and urged the police to ensure justice is done. "Everything happened so fast … I went to a nearby village to visit an old friend who just returned some days ago.
Upon my return, I went to the living room and saw the man penetrating my child. I shouted and some local authorities came to the scene and helped me. My child is receiving medical treatment and we are getting support from people we don’t even know”.
Florence Kamara of the Ministry of Social Welfare in Pujehun District said they were providing psycho-social support to the alleged victim and her mother “but we have to take a range of preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents occurring in the future, such as training for social workers and educational campaigns and we will work closely with the police to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable”, she said.
Sadiatu Kemokai Leigh of the organization, Women of Wanjama said he group continues to work “tirelessly to sensitize the public on the need to protect young girls and women against sexual exploitation without prejudice to the current case before the police”. She said: “our primary focus now is on supporting the victim and her family, as well as taking steps to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
Joseph Koroma, the spokesperson for the Children's Forum Network in Pujehun District, said “we strongly encourage anyone with information about such an incident to report it to the appropriate authorities. It is crucial to cooperate with law enforcement to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice and to prevent them from committing similar crimes in the future. As a child forum network, we believe that stricter laws and regulations need to be implemented to protect children”.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (06/09/23)
