BANJUL, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Women's Affairs in collaboration with Women's Bureau, National Women's Council and the Directorate of Social Welfare, expressed Friday their concern over the rape incident of a child leading to her death in the Western region of the Gambia recently.
"We are appalled by the heart-breaking media news of the rape and demise of an 8 year old girl yesterday in the West Coast Region," the ministry said in a press release.
"The life of this innocent and promising girl is cut short due to the brutal ordeal of rape. The Ministry is at loss for words and imagination about the pain her parents, relatives, friends and even teachers must be going through after having placed such high hopes on this innocent child," it stated.
The statement indicated that rape is a crime, hence the nation must speak up now against anyone suspected of molesting young girls and boys at all places by reporting the matter to the nearest police station.
The Ministry of Women's Affairs, along with Women's Bureau, National Women's Council and the Directorate of Social Welfare, is now calling for a thorough police investigation into the case.
"This call for immediate police investigation is applicable to all other pending as well as future rape cases for prompt appropriate justice," it concluded.
The penalty for rape crime in the Gambia according to Children's Act could be life imprisonment for the person who is found guilty by the court of law.
