In
his condolence message to the families of victims of 4 December capsized boat,
President Adama Barrow has declared his government’s readiness in providing
additional support to the Attorney General Chambers to help fast track
prosecution of human trafficking cases in the country.
Mr.
Barrow said that his government has taken a renew measure to strengthen the
efforts against trafficking in person (TIP) under the Ministry of Justice to
effectively execute its mandate.
“Government
will provide additional support to the Attorney General Chambers to fast track
prosecution of cases involving human trafficking, while law enforcement
officials are also instructed to increase surveillance and arrest for diligent
prosecution of criminals involved in human trafficking,” he stated.
President
Barrow’s condolence message was as a result of tragic death of confirmed 60
Gambian youths on the Mauritanian coast.
The
60 deceased were part of the over one hundred and fifty (150) people that were
on the way to Europe through popular route known as ‘backway’ for greener
pastures. The capsized boat was said to have originated from Barra, a small
town in North Bank Region, and the over 150 passengers comprised young men and
women.
President
Barrow described the incident as a ‘national tragedy,’ saying it is a matter of
great concern to the government. He emphasised that his government has
established a full police investigation to get to the bottom of this national
disaster as the “culprits will be prosecuted according to law,” he assured.
However,
for the purpose of rapid response to such situation, he said his government has
already established a national centralised coordinating center comprises of
cabinet ministers, heads of security agencies, stakeholders and specialised
institutions mandated to deal with such emergencies.
