Therefore, it is a serious problem that should be treated with utmost seriousness it deserves.
In our Wednesday edition of The Point, authorities in the country bemoaned the unprecedented surge in GBV cases ranging from exploitation, rape, defilement and children’s streets begging among others, during the pandemic and especially during the lockdown.
And Magistrate Peter Ado Che of the Brikama Magistrates’ Court recently while delivering a judgment in a rape case, declared it as a ‘pandemic’ now in The Gambia.
He then subsequently sentenced the convict to a 20-year jail term, something he said, would serve as a deterrent.
The presiding Magistrate made reference to the fact that in the judicial year ended, he presided over 15 rapes cases as a single court.
“I can imagine what transpires in other courts.” he ruled.
However, let us not lose sight of the fact that some men experienced similar abuses in our homes and communities. But the extent at which it occurs to women far outweighs that of their male counterparts.
Gambia was once a peaceful country and welcomes visitors from all corners of the globe. It seems that we are gradually loosing that title going by the realities of the day.
Let’s treat women as our sisters, daughters, mothers and above all the backbone of any thriving society.
Many would agree that the extent at which the ugly menace is surfacing in the country calls for swift intervention. These past days, there is a picture trending on social media, wherein a woman was assaulted and left helpless and at the mercy of God. Her attacker robbed of her belongings and left her screaming in the bush.
Just imagine that and the perpetrators are not animals. They live among us and some of us know them and continue to protect their cowardly acts. This, among others, makes this cowardly act to thrive in our society.
Therefore, let’s combine and put in place well coordinated approach to tackle the menace. Let’s all be vigilante and report any gender based-violence.
We believe that if GBV cases continue to receive urgent attention, women would feel safer to sleep in their homes at night, go out for a walk, and leave abusive husbands without fearing they will be another statistic - murdered, raped and thrown in the bushes.