pedophiles the gambia

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A tourist wades into the sea with a modest African child in The Gambia - where child sexual practice corruption is rife

Gambian children are being sold to British paedophiles for as little as £2-a-time past their desperate parents, Sunday Online can reveal.

Huge numbers of predators are taking advantage of lax laws in the poverty stricken African country to embark on ill child abuse holidays where they openly target little boys and girls.

Sunday Online saw first paw how poor Gambian children can be vulnerable to British paedos when nosotros visited the beach resorts that dot Kololi on the land's picturesque Atlantic coastline.

Our reporter was constantly shocked past the number of unaccompanied African minors he saw being cared for by heart-aged, Western men who did not announced to be their biological fathers.

gambia pedophiles child british man

A man with a British accent holds a scared toddler in his artillery

The encounters witnessed included a daughter aged between six and 8 having lunch with a balding, white haired man in a restaurant filled with similarly aged tourists.

The aforementioned twenty-four hours we saw a stoutly congenital man in his 50s or 60s wading into the ocean gripping the mitt of a tiny African child in white swimming shorts.

Equally unsettling was the sight of a Gambian toddler watching wide-eyed with fear as a middle-anile white woman got into a fist fight with a young black prostitute at a pop embankment bar.

It was 11.30pm at night and the air was thick with cigarette fume. The child, no older than two, was being held closely by a white man with a British emphasis.

Children sold for £two

Our investigation comes equally experts warn that the economic crisis unleashed by the collapse of travel firm Thomas Cook is helping plow the old British colony into a "paedophile paradise" where perverts can operate unchecked.

Thomas Cook flew 45 per cent of The gambia's 100,000 annual visitors from the UK to the capital Banjul until information technology went into liquidation under the weight of its debts in September.

The gambia map pedophiles

In an exclusive interview, Lamin Fatty, the National Coordinator of the Kid Protection Alliance in The Gambia, reveals that both male and female person tourists are targeting African minors.

He warns: "Sex is cheap in my country and children are existence sold for as piddling every bit 150 dalasis, or only over £two in your currency. Some of the parents know their children are being abused and they accept it because they are so desperate for food in their bellies.

"Others are also naïve to realise. They think the Westerner is paying their bills and helping their male child or girl out of the kindness of their heart, while in reality they have bad intentions.

"Kid abuse is going on all the fourth dimension in The Republic of the gambia and the government is non doing enough to put a stop to it.

The Gambia pedophiles

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Two schoolhouse-age girls play at the feet of ii men, their mums nowhere in sight

"Our children are being approached directly on the beaches or the street and child abusers from all over Europe including the Great britain are coming here for this.

"I want to brand articulate that this does not just involve men but also adult women who are paying for sexual practice with teenage boys in The Gambia.

"We take laws that are supposed to stop this from happening just they are not beingness enforced and then nosotros have become a paradise for paedophiles."

Locals 'desperate' subsequently Thomas Cook collapse

Equally tourism makes upwardly one-third of the country's GDP, there are fears that businesses will become bust and locals will go hungry post-obit an estimated fifty per cent drop in economic activity that has already hit beach resorts.

Lawyer and children's rights abet Malick Jallow told Sun Online: "While some tourists will always desire to help poor Gambians, others will see this situation equally an opportunity to exploit young children.

the gambia pedophiles britain

© My Story Media
Lamin Fatty, National Coordinator of the Children'southward Protection Brotherhood, said this male child shouldn't be in a bar so late at dark, adding: "We do not encourage physical affection with minors"

"The problem is that the abuse is sometimes carried out with the blessing of the parents because they are then in need.

"The perception is that white people, or 'toubabs' as they telephone call them, have stacks of cash and these parents are often excited that their child has attracted the attention of a white homo.

"Information technology actually makes them feel proud so they give their permission for the boy or girl to get with the person and when the police try to question them they will not co-operate."

'She didn't look comfortable at all'

Former Thomas Melt rep Anne Heap, 53, from Wigan, said: "These people are as poor as poor can be — it'south rare to see a kid wearing shoes — and in that location isn't any other trade for them outside tourism.

"Thomas Cook used to always requite us an extra 10kg luggage allowance and so the workers and passengers could bring aid boxes to Republic of the gambia — basic things like apparel, medicine and schoolhouse equipment.

"The first thing I thought of when we went under was, 'What is going to happen to people in The gambia?' We were the only airline flight directly there.I've heard that crime has already shot up as at that place is not enough money coming in — the paw that feeds them is gone.

"Sex tourism is already huge in The The gambia — some bars are like brothels — and I practice worry that more children will get lured into prostitution to feed their families. When I was working there I would encounter old men walking with girls as young as x, eleven or 12. At that place is a dark side to The Gambia.

"One time when we were flying dorsum to Manchester there was a British man in his 70s with a girl who was just most 8 or nine. This was about eight years ago. I was so concerned about what was going on that I got chatting to him outside the toilet during the flight. I wanted to speak to the daughter too but she never left her seat, she didn't expect comfortable at all. I reported it and border security later on told me the man had been 'apprehended' but I was non able to find out what happened to him or the girl after that."

Tots hand-in-hand with 'paedos'

We came across a number of tourists with young children in the Due west African resortCredit: My Story Media

There is no proof to suggest that whatsoever of the men we pictured were paedophiles.

However the experts we showed our dossier of photos to said the police should have questioned them co-ordinate to Gambian kid protection laws.

Lamin Fatty said: "This does worry me because, if the children are unaccompanied, they should not be alone in tourist areas without their parents.

"It is likewise forbidden for a child to be in a bar so late at dark and we do not encourage physical affection with minors.

"I work with young girls and boys and I would not hug them or pick them upwardly, it is non advisable."

Malick Jallow added: "I would have questioned these men had I seen them myself. As a lawyer and an activist, I would want to know if they have the authority to be caring for that kid. We have a lot of good Samaritans coming to The The gambia just we also have people who apply charity equally a front to hide their bad intentions.

"The security guards should have questioned these men but in that location is a culture of inferiority here and they would have been scared to claiming a wealthy Westerner."

British tourists can still fly to The Republic of the gambia via Lisbon with the TAP airline or via Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc. There is also a express straight service run past 'The Gambia Feel' company and packet deals tin be snapped up for merely over £500 a person.

Pensioners taking teens to hotels

Older British women are famed for holidaying in The The gambia, where some pick upwards African gigolosCredit: My Story Media

Health intendance assistant Lucy Mendy, 33, from Gloucester, was trying to enjoy a winter holiday in the country she has come to see equally a second home — but says she was shocked past some of the things she had witnessed during her trip.

She said: "I've seen one-time men taking girls looking every bit young equally 15 or sixteen-years-erstwhile to their hotel room.

"It made me feel sick and I wish I could have intervened, only this is non the Great britain and I was scared what might accept happened if I tried to confront them. People here are and so poor, some of them will do annihilation for money, even if information technology means giving their bodies to a tourist."

Marjorie said the impact of Thomas Cook closing downward was clear to encounter in the resort

Lucy'due south mum, pensioner Marjorie Botton, 68, also from Gloucester, added: "The collapse of Thomas Cook has striking people and then difficult.

"They are getting half as many British tourists and that means they might not make plenty money to become through the serenity flavour, which starts in Apr."

Dutch tourist Corina Bouwman also witnessed suspected child abuse during her two week, wintertime vacation in Dec.

The social worker, 54, said: "I've seen a number of tiny African children walking around with big white men. On each occasion I thought, 'What is going on here? Where is the child's mother?' Simply I didn't want to charge anyone in case I had misread the state of affairs."

'White men arroyo little boys and girls'

Father-of-four Abdullah Labamba, 48, runs a fruit stand next to one of the many hotels that line Kololi'due south palm-tree fringed beach and says he has witnessed paedophiles targeting vulnerable kid workers selling peanuts for less than £1 a bag.

the gambia pedophiles britain

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Fruit seller Abdullah Labamba, pictured, says paedos frequently target vulnerable child workers selling peanuts

He said: "I've seen white men arroyo the footling boys and girls right here on the beach. I exercise my all-time to stop them. "I tell the children, 'Get out of here, this is not a safe place for you.' The children will run away but they unremarkably come back. Information technology's shocking."

"Their parents are desperate for money and they know they won't be allowed abode until they have sold at least v bags. Some men try to take advantage of that past offer them £50 for the whole basket. Then they will inquire them to come up dorsum to go somewhere private."

Child abuse scourge

Tragically, child corruption is now endemic in The The gambia, where 60 per cent of the 1.9m population live beneath the poverty line.

Previous research has shown that paedophiles often pose as clemency workers and Practiced Samaritans and then they can befriend poor families — and UNICEF has warned that The Republic of the gambia is one of Africa'due south acme destinations for child sex activity tourism.

The Gambian authorities meanwhile has tried to crack downward and in 2013 introduced new laws allowing them to seize hotel backdrop if children are knowingly driveling on the premises.

They also pledged to requite out "hefty fines" and "stiff sentences" to paedophiles that are defenseless.

Merely incredibly at that place has been only ane successful prosecution since laws were tightened and that man ended up being pardoned past the president.

Svein Agesandakar pedophile gambia

Svein Agesandakar was jailed for sexual offences against children

Norwegian teacher Svein Agesandakar, 57, was establish guilty of abusing vi children, the youngest aged three, in 2006.

The court heard how he had tricked his style into a hard-upward Gambian family by posing equally a do-gooder, giving the parents sacks of rice and new shoes in exchange for time alone with their big brood of six kids in a hotel room.

The paedophile had split up convictions for child abuse in Kingdom of norway merely was sentenced to just 3 years in jail.

And so, in 2018 President Adama Barrow decided to pardon him for reasons that have never been explained. The pardon was after revoked amidst a public outcry but experts fear his case has given a dark-green light to other paedophiles.

ECPAT is the just child rights charity that is solely focusing on ending the sexual exploitation of children.

Children in all countries of the globe are at risk of trafficking and prostitution, every bit well as online dangers such as training, sextortion and the proliferation of child sexual abuse images.

In contempo years, the travel and tourism sector has imperilled millions of children worldwide equally travelling child sexual activity offenders discover new victims.

To finish these crimes, cognition and evidence must exist of the highest possible quality to inform decisions and guide action.

Predator complimentary

In Oct last yr an official UN investigation found that Gambia'southward tourist areas continue to be a dangerous place for children and that predators at present stay in motels and private apartments so they can avoid prying eyes.

Un Special Rapporteur Maud de Boer-Buquicchio reported: "The rare instances when complaints are lodged with the law are not duly acted upon, the gathering of compelling evidence is delayed, and investigation and prosecution is stalled, resulting in victims or witnesses withdrawing their complaints.

"Some cases have as well reportedly been dismissed on the grounds that statements by kid victims were allegedly inconsistent."

Our study comes later on the UK government was slammed for failing to protect children overseas from British predators.

A written report by the Contained Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) found more needs to be done to make sure offenders operating in poor countries like The Gambia are caught and prosecuted.

Calling for a new national plan to tackle the problem, Debbie Beadle, Director of Programmes at the child protection arrangement ECPAT UK, said: "Nosotros hope that by bringing these institutional failings to low-cal, the UK tin become a earth leader in tackling the abuse of vulnerable children globally, and that child victims away are no longer 'under the radar' of authorities.

Global manhunt for Aussie paedo monster Simon Gordon Davies who ran child sex ring from charity set to 'assist' homeless kids

End Child Prostitution and Trafficking - ECPAT is conducting master inquiry, likewise as bringing together data from various sectors and countries around the world, to form a reliable and professional range of academic sources.The charity supports the protection of children and empowerment of 113 members in 98 countries - including The gambia. Yous can donate to ECPAT hither .