A police commander in Tanzania’s capital Dodoma has been sacked for making controversial feedback linking an alleged gang rape sufferer to intercourse work.
Earlier this month, a video that appeared to indicate a younger lady being attacked by 5 males went viral within the East African nation, sparking a public outcry.
The police commander within the capital Dodoma was quoted as saying in an announcement on Sunday. tanzanian newspapers “The girl seems to be engaged in intercourse work,” he stated.
Tanzania’s nationwide police pressure apologized and stated the commander had been transferred after dealing with backlash and accusations that the remark trivialized the girl’s ache.
“Police want to apologize to anybody who was moved and offended by the assertion circulating within the media and are monitoring its accuracy,” Nationwide Police spokesman David Missim stated on Monday.
Mr Msim added that Dodoma district commander Theopista Mallya stated in feedback to native newspaper Mwananchi that even when the girl was a intercourse employee, “she didn’t need to be handled like that”.
These phrases didn’t seem in Mwananchi’s report – and the BBC has contacted the newspaper for remark.
Responding to Mwananchi’s report, lawyer Peter Madeleka stated on social media platform
Lawyer and outstanding activist Fatma Karume additionally expressed anger at X, writing: “Cannot those that promote themselves out be raped on this nation?”
Within the video, the girl seems to be raped and the suspect reportedly interrogates her, forcing her to apologize to a person generally known as “afande.”
In Tanzania, the place “afande” is commonly used to consult with troopers or law enforcement officials, many activists and social media customers expressed outrage that members of the safety forces ordered sexual assaults.
Ms Mallia instructed Mwananchi: “Investigations revealed that these younger males weren’t performing on the orders of any police officer; they had been merely drunk and medicines.”
“Nevertheless, this lady seems to be engaged in intercourse work,” she stated.
After Ms Mallia confronted public backlash for her feedback, the Tanzania Nationwide Police stated she had been transferred to police headquarters, but it surely was unclear whether or not this might be short-term or everlasting.
The gang-rape suspect is because of seem in courtroom later Monday.
It is unclear when the video was filmed, however the victims had been reportedly residents of Yombdovia, a suburb of Dar es Salaam, the nation’s largest metropolis.
