To fight this, I think a law should be set and practice regarding sexual
age limit.  Here we are talking "Child sex tourists".  What about such
happenings on the ground - you see adult Gambian/African +++ men going
out with schoolgirls  of 13-16  or girls being married away at 13+  Is
this not PAEDOPHILE ????  Let us take for example Norway there is law
against child sex, so I think any foreigner/tourist will think 2x before
having sex with a minor.


-----Original Message-----
From: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mam Jay Ceesay
Sent: 24. mars 2004 18:20
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Fw: Child sex tourists hunt for new grounds

Joe:
If only the authorities and the population involved would realize the
seriousness of this issue.  No wonder the AIDS figures are rising back
home.  We all know Gambia needs tourism but definitely not at the
expense of our children.  I understand this has been going on for
sometime but for reasons best known to the Government they tend to
ignore it.  The only reason I can think of is the fear of hurting the
Tourism or should I say "Sex Tourism"  Industry.  Also, lets stop
blaming the foreigners for our troubles.  You mention prostitution in
Gambia and the first thing you hear is that those practising it are not
Gambians.  How convenient!  Easier to blame someone else than to tackle
the problem.
>From: Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Fw: Child sex tourists hunt for new grounds
>Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 15:54:14 +0000
>
>Kabir, thanks for your efforts.  We all know that this is a problem
>in our
>country, yet, some come to tell us it does not exist or it is
>fabrication or
>conspiracy.  This is a Gambian problem and all of us should be
>outraged and
>need to do something to stamp it out.  This government will not
>recognize a
>problem even if it hit them on the head.  Thus, I look to the
>citizens and
>NGOs to take charge of this fight.  I hope we as a people are not
>going to
>do the usual, pretend like this form of child abuse does not exist
>in our
>midst.
>
>Chi Jaama
>
>Joe Sambou
>
>>From: Amadu Kabir Njie <[log in to unmask]>
>>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
>><[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Fw: Child sex tourists hunt for new grounds
>>Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 09:26:07 -0500
>>
>>Hi Jabou,
>>
>>I just finished doing this translation about an hour ago and mailed
>>it to
>>the journalist who wrote it. She read through it and mailed back to
>>say
>>that she is quite happy with it.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Kabir.
>>
>>----------------------------------------
>>
>>Child sex tourists hunt for new grounds
>>
>>Child sex tourists hunt for new grounds where they can molest
>>children
>>with impunity. Thailand has become too dangerous. Gambia is the new
>>target
>>of paedophiles. Also Norwegian men who help poor families are
>>suspected of
>>abusing small girls in The Gambia.
>>
>>Inger Anne Olsen
>>Gambia
>>
>>Risky work
>>
>>Isa is 11 years and Sofie is 12. The two girls sell fruits and nuts
>>at the
>>tourist beach in Gambia. Their objective is to become friends with
>>as many
>>tourists as possible, get regular customers so as to get their
>>bananas and
>>peanuts sold.
>>
>>Isa and Sofie say that almost all the tourists are nice. But some
>>want to
>>buy more than just fruits and nuts. Some want for example, to take
>>pictures of the two - in a compromising situation.
>>
>>"We let them do it, if they promise not to make postcards or such
>>from the
>>photos" says Sofie.
>>
>>"Are there some who do things that you don't like?"
>>
>>"Most of them are quite nice. But some are nasty," says the 12 year
>>old.
>>She then drags her friend with her along the beach.
>>
>>According to the Gambian police it is the young fruit sellers who
>>are most
>>vulnerable to sexual abuse by Europeans on holidays. The Gambia
>>does not
>>have child prostitution as can be seen in other countries. But the
>>country
>>has many poor families. The U.N. reports that 69 percent of the
>>population
>>live under the poverty line.  During some hectic winter months, the
>>country's 1.5 million inhabitants are host to some 95 000 European
>>charter
>>tourists. They flock on some stretch of kilometres of sparkling
>>sandy
>>beach.
>>
>>The fruit sellers - boys and girls in school going age - appear
>>alone on
>>the beach. For them a couple of two hundred Norwegian crones is a
>>wealth
>>and they stretch themselves long in order to secure money for the
>>family.
>>
>>According to the report "Gambia, the smiling coast," written by The
>>Gambian organisation Child Protection Alliance (CPA) and Dutch
>>Terre des
>>Hommes, many sexual abuses against children occur inside the
>>family's
>>belly, so to speak. The report states that most of the abusers who
>>are
>>observed in The Gambia are European men over 45. They prefer girls
>>between
>>the ages of nine and sixteen.
>>
>>It is in this report that an experienced child-protection worker
>>(social
>>worker) expresses her fear about what Norwegian men actually do in
>>the
>>country.  The social worker who works at the "Children's center"
>>told CPA
>>about two families that receive economic assistance, each from
>>Norwegian
>>men. The men pay school fees for the children and are sexual
>>partners with
>>the mothers. But over time the behaviour of the children in the
>>family has
>>changed in such a way that the social worker has fears that the
>>children
>>are being abused sexually by the Norwegians.
>>
>>Neither Kripos (Norwegian criminal police) nor The Gambian police
>>have
>>received any reports about the two Norwegians. But police sergeant
>>Havard
>>Aksnes of Kripos is not surprised:
>>
>>"We know that paedophiles always move to places where the risk of
>>being
>>apprehended is minimal, where the price is lowest and access to
>>children
>>is best. Now it is away from Asia and over to Africa, Eastern
>>Europe and
>>South America" according to Aksnes.
>>
>>For the mean time, the police in Europe know very little about what
>>goes
>>on in African countries.
>>
>>"We stumble on child pornography pictures and films that are made
>>in
>>Africa but we don't even know which countries they come from" says
>>Aksnes.
>>
>>He says the paedophiles use the same methods everywhere: They are
>>men who
>>come back to the country year after year, some as tourists, some
>>under the
>>guise of being aid workers, some as businessmen.
>>
>>"For us to be able to do something about Norwegians abroad we are
>>dependent on the country involved to also do something itself" says
>>Aksnes.
>>
>>Even though Norwegian Wing cut out Gambia as a charter resort in
>>1994,
>>some Norwegians still travel to the small country. Many of them
>>travel
>>year after year and many eventually get Gambian friends and support
>>poor
>>families economically. Most of the tourists do not break the law.
>>But it
>>is in this tourists group that both Kripos and UNICEF are convinced
>>one
>>should search for abusers.
>>
>>Already in 2001 UNICEF warned that Gambia is vulnerable to child
>>sex
>>tourism. In the report "The Situation of Children and Women in The
>>Gambia"
>>UNICEF warned specifically against paedophiles who exploit poor
>>families
>>and who offer to adapt or foster the families' children.
>>
>>John Staale Stamnes is Crime Intelligence Officer at Interpol's
>>general
>>secretariat in Lyon. He is worried about what happens in poor
>>countries as
>>it becomes too dangerous for child abusers in the West:
>>
>>"The focus that child abuse has had in the Western world has
>>resulted in
>>those committing child abuses travelling to poor countries in
>>stead. If we
>>don't focus on this problem we will be guilty of adding weight to
>>the
>>already heavy burden of the children in these countries" says
>>Stamnes.
>>
>>He defied the Norwegian police to investigate abuses committed by
>>Norwegians in the countries where the crime is committed.
>>"Norwegian
>>police must be willing to allocate resources and carry out good
>>quality
>>investigation under quite different conditions than we are used to
>>at
>>home" say John Staale Stamnes.
>>
>>The sexual age limit in The Gambia is 16 years but in certain
>>ethnic
>>groups and some parts of the country it is not uncommon for a
>>13-year old
>>girl to be married away to an adult husband. Therefore it does not
>>necessarily cause uproar within the family if a tourist has a
>>sexual
>>relationship with a young girl as long as he also takes economic
>>responsibility.
>>
>>Gambian boys are not protected by any sexual age limit and
>>homosexuality
>>is forbidden. So if a 14 year old boy is abused by an adult man the
>>boy
>>can himself be prosecuted for homosexual behaviour. Up till now few
>>cases
>>of abuse of boys have been reported. But Jalamang Camara, head of
>>CPA,
>>tells 'Aftenposten' that he is worried about the lack of protection
>>for
>>boys.
>>
>>When the UNICEF report came out in 2001 The Gambian authorities
>>showed
>>very little interest concerning child sex tourism.
>>
>>In CPA's report this is illustrated thus:
>>
>>A Scandinavian man lived with a young girl. The girl's mother got
>>worried
>>and contacted The Gambian Social Security Department. But the
>>girl's
>>father was satisfied with the money the family was getting. The
>>authorities tried to approach the case through an acquaintant of
>>the
>>family but nobody was willing to cooperate - and therefore nothing
>>more
>>happened.
>>
>>"Nothing happened until it became understood that it will ruin The
>>Gambia's tourist industry if the country gets stamped as the new
>>resort of
>>child sex tourism. But now the authorities are taking this
>>seriously" says
>>Jalamang Camara. He heads the umbrella organisation Child
>>Protection
>>Alliance which organises both state and private bodies with a
>>common goal:
>>To prevent commercial and sexual exploitation of children.
>>
>>Two years ago, The Gambian Social Security Department began
>>registering
>>visa application to Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and Norway
>>filed by
>>children under 17 in order to prevent paedophiles 'importing'
>>children
>>into Europe, under cover of treating them to a holiday.
>>
>>But it is unclear if this registration has had any effect.
>>Presently, it
>>is impossible to get a synopsis from The Gambian authorities on how
>>many
>>such applications that have been received. The Norwegian ambassador
>>in The
>>Ivory Coast, Egil Andhoey, also has The Gambia within his purview.
>>But
>>Andhoey has no data on the number of Gambian children who have been
>>taken
>>on holidays to Norway.
>>
>>"This is not a phenomenon we are preoccupied with but we will view
>>with
>>total scepticism, an application for a tourist visa filed by a
>>minor who
>>has been invited to Norway alone" says Andhoey.
>>
>>Last winter The Gambian interior minister promised that the
>>authorities
>>will take on the problem and prevent child sex tourism from having
>>a
>>foothold in the country.
>>
>>Even members of government have during the last months spoken out
>>loudly
>>against child sex tourism. The country's vice president, Isatou
>>Njie-
>>Saidy, has read out a declaration on TV in which she condemns the
>>practice. Also head of crime unit Abdou Njie has used the state TV
>>channel
>>to reach out with information.
>>
>>And after many years with rumour that small girls were being abused
>>at the
>>small hotel, John's, at Fajara, The Gambian police has now taken
>>action
>>against its British owner. He is charged with having taken
>>pornographic
>>pictures and videos and with having sexual intercourse with girl
>>minors. A
>>number of Scandinavian tourists have over the years lived at
>>John's, since
>>Wing, for quite a while, used it as a relief alternative.
>>
>>In October, the Dutch owner of another small Gambian hotel, Holland
>>House,
>>was arrested at home in The Netherlands and charged in a similar
>>case.
>>
>>"This is first and foremost about poverty," say crime unit boss,
>>Abdou
>>Njie.
>>
>>"Every single child that sell fruits alone on the beach or hangs
>>around
>>tourists, comes from a very poor family. Other families don't allow
>>their
>>children to be alone in the tourist areas" according to Njie.
>>
>>  "Especially children who sell fruits on the beach - and the young
>>boys
>>who hang around there - are vulnerable. They have never in their
>>lives
>>owned 1000.00 dalasis (NOK 250.00). So a tourist comes along and
>>gives
>>them 2000.00 dalasis as a present! The children think that they
>>have come
>>into heaven, and they take the tourist home to meet the family and
>>introduce him as a friend. Then the tourist has a unhindered
>>access. In
>>the few cases that we have had until now, it has been very
>>difficult to
>>get the girls to witness because they just cry. It is difficult for
>>them
>>to understand that we are on their side. Here, in this country
>>girls are
>>brought up to preserve their virginity for a husband. So therefore,
>>this
>>is a shame for them in many ways" says Abdou Njie.
>>
>>Have has never had cases in which boys have been abused.
>>
>>"It certainly happens with boys too. But gay sex is harder to
>>prove. If
>>the boy denies it there is nothing to see" says Njie.
>>
>>
>>Places with increasing child sex tourism:
>>Europe: Romania. Moldavia Ukraine, Russia, the Baltics
>>
>>Africa: Gambia, Ghana, Senegal
>>
>>America: The while of South America and Central America
>>
>>Asia: Laos and Cambodia
>>
>>And here it still exists:
>>Sir Lanka Thailand Philippines, West coast of India
>>
>>Source: Interpol and Kripos
>>
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