pedophiles the gambia

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A tourist wades into the sea with a small 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 by their desperate parents, Sun Online tin reveal.

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

Sun Online saw kickoff hand how poor Gambian children can be vulnerable to British paedos when we visited the beach resorts that dot Kololi on the country's picturesque Atlantic coastline.

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

gambia pedophiles child british man

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

The encounters witnessed included a daughter aged betwixt six and eight having luncheon with a balding, white haired man in a restaurant filled with similarly aged tourists.

The same day nosotros saw a stoutly built homo in his 50s or 60s wading into the bounding main gripping the hand of a tiny African child in white swimming shorts.

Equally unsettling was the sight of a Gambian toddler watching wide-eyed with fearfulness equally a middle-aged white woman got into a fist fight with a immature black prostitute at a popular beach bar.

It was 11.30pm at night and the air was thick with cigarette smoke. The child, no older than two, was beingness held closely past a white man with a British accent.

Children sold for £two

Our investigation comes as experts warn that the economic crisis unleashed by the collapse of travel house Thomas Cook is helping turn the former British colony into a "paedophile paradise" where perverts can operate unchecked.

Thomas Cook flew 45 per cent of The Gambia'due south 100,000 annual visitors from the UK to the majuscule Banjul until it went into liquidation nether the weight of its debts in September.

The gambia map pedophiles

In an sectional interview, Lamin Fat, the National Coordinator of the Child Protection Alliance in Republic of the gambia, reveals that both male person and female tourists are targeting African minors.

He warns: "Sex is cheap in my country and children are being sold for as little as 150 dalasis, or just over £2 in your currency. Some of the parents know their children are being driveling and they accept it because they are so drastic for nutrient in their bellies.

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

"Kid abuse is going on all the time in The Gambia and the regime is not doing enough to put a stop to it.

The Gambia pedophiles

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Two school-historic period girls play at the feet of ii men, their mums nowhere in sight

"Our children are existence approached straight on the beaches or the street and child abusers from all over Europe including the UK are coming here for this.

"I desire to brand clear that this does not just involve men simply also developed women who are paying for sexual practice with teenage boys in Gambia.

"We accept laws that are supposed to cease this from happening but they are not being enforced so we have go a paradise for paedophiles."

Locals 'drastic' after Thomas Cook collapse

As tourism makes up one-third of the state's GDP, there are fears that businesses will go bust and locals will become hungry following an estimated l per cent drop in economic activity that has already striking beach resorts.

Lawyer and children's rights advocate Malick Jallow told Dominicus Online: "While some tourists volition always want to assist poor Gambians, others will meet this situation as an opportunity to exploit young children.

the gambia pedophiles britain

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Lamin Fatty, National Coordinator of the Children's Protection Alliance, said this boy shouldn't be in a bar so belatedly at night, adding: "We do non encourage concrete 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 ofttimes excited that their child has attracted the attention of a white man.

"It actually makes them feel proud and then they give their permission for the boy or girl to become 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 Cook rep Anne Heap, 53, from Wigan, said: "These people are as poor as poor can be — it's rare to come across a child wearing shoes — and at that place isn't any other merchandise for them outside tourism.

"Thomas Cook used to e'er give usa an extra 10kg baggage assart then the workers and passengers could bring aid boxes to The The gambia — basic things similar apparel, medicine and school equipment.

"The kickoff thing I thought of when nosotros went under was, 'What is going to happen to people in The Gambia?' We were the only airline flying directly there.I've heard that crime has already shot upwardly equally there is not enough coin coming in — the hand that feeds them is gone.

"Sexual practice tourism is already huge in The The gambia — some bars are like brothels — and I do worry that more children volition get lured into prostitution to feed their families. When I was working there I would see old men walking with girls equally young as 10, 11 or 12. There is a dark side to Gambia.

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

Tots hand-in-mitt with 'paedos'

We came beyond a number of tourists with young children in the 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 according to Gambian child protection laws.

Lamin Fatty said: "This does worry me because, if the children are unaccompanied, they should non exist alone in tourist areas without their parents.

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

"I piece of work with young girls and boys and I would not hug them or choice them up, it is not advisable."

Malick Jallow added: "I would accept questioned these men had I seen them myself. As a lawyer and an activist, I would desire to know if they accept the authorisation to exist caring for that child. We have a lot of good Samaritans coming to The gambia just we also have people who use charity as a front to hide their bad intentions.

"The security guards should have questioned these men merely there is a civilisation of inferiority hither and they would have been scared to claiming a wealthy Westerner."

British tourists tin notwithstanding fly to The Gambia via Lisbon with the TAP airline or via Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc. There is also a express direct service run by 'Gambia Experience' visitor and bundle deals tin be snapped upwards for just over £500 a person.

Pensioners taking teens to hotels

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

Health care assistant Lucy Mendy, 33, from Gloucester, was trying to enjoy a winter holiday in the country she has come to meet equally a 2nd home — simply says she was shocked by some of the things she had witnessed during her trip.

She said: "I've seen former men taking girls looking as immature equally 15 or 16-years-old to their hotel room.

"It made me experience sick and I wish I could accept intervened, but this is not the Great britain and I was scared what might have happened if I tried to confront them. People here are then poor, some of them volition do anything for money, even if it means giving their bodies to a tourist."

Marjorie said the impact of Thomas Cook endmost down was clear to see in the resort

Lucy's mum, pensioner Marjorie Botton, 68, too from Gloucester, added: "The collapse of Thomas Cook has hit people so difficult.

"They are getting one-half every bit many British tourists and that means they might not brand enough money to get through the quiet season, which starts in Apr."

Dutch tourist Corina Bouwman also witnessed suspected kid abuse during her two calendar week, wintertime vacation in December.

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

'White men approach niggling boys and girls'

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

the gambia pedophiles britain

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

He said: "I've seen white men arroyo the piffling boys and girls right here on the beach. I practise my best to end them. "I tell the children, 'Go out of here, this is not a safe place for you.' The children will run away merely they normally come back. It's shocking."

"Their parents are desperate for money and they know they won't be immune habitation until they have sold at least five bags. Some men try to take advantage of that past offering them £50 for the whole basket. Then they will enquire them to come back to go somewhere private."

Child abuse scourge

Tragically, child abuse is now endemic in The Gambia, where 60 per cent of the 1.9m population alive below the poverty line.

Previous research has shown that paedophiles often pose as charity workers and Good Samaritans so they tin befriend poor families — and UNICEF has warned that The Gambia is one of Africa'southward top destinations for child sex tourism.

The Gambian government meanwhile has tried to crevice down and in 2013 introduced new laws allowing them to seize hotel properties if children are knowingly abused on the premises.

They also pledged to give out "hefty fines" and "strong sentences" to paedophiles that are defenseless.

But incredibly in that location has been simply one successful prosecution since laws were tightened and that man ended up beingness pardoned by the president.

Svein Agesandakar pedophile gambia

Svein Agesandakar was jailed for sexual offences against children

Norwegian instructor Svein Agesandakar, 57, was establish guilty of abusing six children, the youngest anile three, in 2006.

The court heard how he had tricked his way into a difficult-up Gambian family past posing equally a do-gooder, giving the parents sacks of rice and new shoes in exchange for time alone with their large breed of six kids in a hotel room.

The paedophile had separate convictions for child abuse in Norway but was sentenced to merely 3 years in jail.

Then, in 2018 President Adama Barrow decided to pardon him for reasons that have never been explained. The pardon was later revoked amidst a public outcry but experts fright his example has given a green light to other paedophiles.

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

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

In recent years, the travel and tourism sector has imperilled millions of children worldwide as travelling child sex offenders find new victims.

To end these crimes, knowledge and evidence must be of the highest possible quality to inform decisions and guide action.

Predator costless

In October concluding twelvemonth an official UN investigation found that Gambia's tourist areas continue to be a dangerous place for children and that predators at present stay in motels and individual apartments and so they can avoid prying eyes.

Un Special Rapporteur Maud de Boer-Buquicchio reported: "The rare instances when complaints are lodged with the constabulary 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 accept also reportedly been dismissed on the grounds that statements by child victims were allegedly inconsistent."

Our report comes after the UK authorities was slammed for declining to protect children overseas from British predators.

A report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Corruption (IICSA) found more than needs to exist washed to make sure offenders operating in poor countries like Gambia are caught and prosecuted.

Calling for a new national plan to tackle the problem, Debbie Beadle, Director of Programmes at the kid protection organisation ECPAT United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, said: "We hope that past bringing these institutional failings to low-cal, the UK tin become a earth leader in tackling the abuse of vulnerable children globally, and that kid victims abroad are no longer 'under the radar' of regime.

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

End Kid Prostitution and Trafficking - ECPAT is conducting primary enquiry, also as bringing together information from diverse sectors and countries around the world, to form a reliable and professional person range of bookish sources.The charity supports the protection of children and empowerment of 113 members in 98 countries - including The Gambia. You lot can donate to ECPAT here .