Kadijah Saccoh, 5, had been raped and killed last June in Sierra Leone.
The alleged culprit is her cousin, and this had created protests and debates that escalated throughout Sierra Leone in order to figure out the crisis of violence against women and the fight for rape victims.
As Kadijah’s father tells VOA via a Skype interview, “My daughter’s story is very, very sad because in my country, rape has become acceptable in a family setting.”
In 2019, President Julius Maada Bio declared sexual violence and rape as a national emergency. There had been more than 8,500 cases that were reported of sexual and gender-based violence per year; observers understand that a lot more of those cases do not even get the chance to be reported.
Bio states, “Each month, hundreds of cases of rape and sexual assaults are being reported in this country. These despicable crimes of sexual violence are being committed against our women, children, and even babies. Some fatalities are as young as 3 months old.” Kadijah was only 5 when she passed away.
The problem continues to persist, but the country is making progress by strengthening its Sexual Offenses Act to allow for a maximum punishment of life in jail for someone who is convicted of rape towards a minor, especially a child.point 302 |
The country has even created a Sexual Offenses Division of the High Court to ensure the sexual assault cases given are prosecuted in a quick manner.point 123 | 1
Kadijah’s father, Abubakarr Saccoh, is still in the midst of his grieving. He lives hundreds and miles away from his babygirl, fighting for a proper medical examination before she was buried. While he was working in the U.S., he desperately tried to get her across borders but failed to do so because of her death.
According to sources, four people, including Kadijah’s cousin who is suspected of raping the girl, have been detained. Even her aunt has been put in custody along with a maid, a teacher, and those in close proximity of their household.
Replaced!