This is a humanitarian emergency. Girls with well-structured life plans are "being displaced, recruited, and trapped in Senegal." "They are forced into prostitution at the cost of their freedom and must repay between 2 and 3 million CFA francs to pimps. Imagine someone having to pay 2 million with 2,000 CFA franc passes. This involves non-consensual sex with all the trauma of rape," Issa of Free the Slaves suggested yesterday during the workshop on Mobilizing Resources for the Eradication of Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation of Girls and Women in the Gold Mining Sector in Kédougou.

 

With the support of their partners such as the NGO La Lumière, led by Alioune Bakhoum, these hundreds of girls and women who experience rape and sexual abuse on a daily basis need to be identified, provided with medical and psychological assistance and returned to their families.

 

The rainy season in Kédougou further complicates access to sexual exploitation sites and worsens living conditions, particularly for girls who are pregnant or whose mental health has been deeply affected by the trauma they have suffered.

 

 

281 girls already saved

 

“But we have reached a point where funding is no longer sufficient. The shelters do not have the capacity to accommodate the girls and lack the resources necessary to properly care for them. This is an extremely complex problem,” Issa explained. He added, “It’s a shame that girls come to the center and cannot be accommodated. It’s traumatic for them. And it jeopardizes all the efforts made over the past three years, with 281 girls having been saved.”

 

These girls and women come from Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, and other countries in the sub-region. Bukeni Waruzi, director of Free the Slaves, also spoke about the project, which is currently facing constraints related to the global financial context. "However, the victims are waiting for our observation, our action, and the hope that tomorrow will be better," he said.

 

For the emergency treatment of the problem, a budget of USD 500,000 (more than 280 million FCFA) is needed over a period of 6 months. "These funds will allow for the holistic care of 150 victims in terms of food, medical, psychosocial care and return to their families," he assures.

 

It is therefore expected that all stakeholders will commit to mobilizing and collecting the financial resources needed to identify victims, provide them with care in reception centers, return them and reintegrate them into their families and communities of origin, create a framework for support and accountability, and strengthen the enforcement system to better pursue cases of human trafficking in Senegal.

 

 

Porosity of borders

 

 

Representing the Minister of Justice at this high-level meeting, Amadou Séga Keïta called for the strengthening of border control to better prevent the phenomenon. "Let us not allow ourselves to be condemned or imprisoned by our emotions. The situation is critical. Our commitment to eradicating human trafficking is more than urgent. This human dignity is being flouted today in Senegal, particularly in the Kédougou region," he noted.

 

Speaking, Colonel Mamady Kaba of the Kédougou gendarmerie declared that "the phenomenon is increasing" and pimps are taking advantage of the porous borders. "We all know that our borders are porous. It's an existential issue that has persisted for years. As long as this is not resolved, it will be impossible to find solutions. But that doesn't discourage us. We will do our job. We will strike, prohibit, and always fight against this scourge," Colonel Kaba reiterated, calling for the removal of girls and women victims of sexual exploitation in the Kédougou region.