By Prince J Musa in Kenema
A community based organization in Kenema, Our Girl Child Foundation, is demanding that the judiciary treat rape suspects equally in terms of granting bail during investigations or trials.
The organization claims that boys are most likely to be remanded and denied bail whiles men, especially those of higher standing in society, are granted bail.
The Executive Director of the organization, Bendu Georgiana Brima, told Politico in an interview on Thursday that they are not happy with how the judiciary in the district is dispensing “justice”.
“As an organization we are frustrated over the rate of sexual offences. Adults who commit those offences are granted bail by the magistrates, either because of financial standing or their status, but young boys that fall in conflict of the same offences are remanded,” she explained.
Madam Brima’s organization works with teenage girls that are mostly affected by social problems like teenage pregnancy or any form of sexual violence.
“Girl Pikin Foundation as an organization has been providing support to victims of sexual abuse to go to court; such as transport, medical assistance and food, since most are vulnerable,” Brima said.
However, she said the campaign for equal treatment for suspects is equally important for her organization because “poor boys are been taken to remand homes whiles elderly violators are released and they are going on with their normal lives. No fair trial is done.”
“There is biasness by the magistrates in dispensing justice. One nine year old girl was sexually battered and the perpetrator is on bail. And a three years old girl was also penetrated, the perpetrator is also an academic doctor and he is on bail,” she added.
Tiangay Stevens, mother of the three year old who was sexually abused by the doctor, said she is frustrated by how the judiciary has treated the family and the case.
”The man is provoking me anytime he is passing in the area, saying that he is a doctor and nothing will come out of the matter in this country. The court has adjourned the matter to the 12th of October and I don’t I know what is happening,” she lamented.
Mrs Stevens said she doesn’t feel safe whiles the allege perpetrator is roaming free.
“I feel intimidated any time I see the man passing and boasting to me and my little child. We don’t feel secure at all in this community, but I am poor,” she said.
Mahmoud Vonjo is father of an eight year old girl who was penetrated by an older boy in June of this year. He said the alleged perpetrator had since been arrested, released and has been bragging about his freedom whiles his daughter and family continue to go through the trauma.
“The case was later charged to court but the perpetrator was also given bail and we were not allowed to witness the testimony before the magistrate,” Vonjo said.
Madam Brima said the Model Sexual Offences Court should be brought to the provinces and that there should be more investment in popularizing the new Sexual Offences Act.
She also said campaigns like the Hands off Our Girls are good but the secretariat in the district has not been functioning in full scale to help victims.
Brima said they have done their bit by helping girls in the communities where they operate, but she added that more needed to be done to reach more communities.
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