pedophiles the gambia

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A tourist wades into the sea with a small African child in The Republic of the gambia - where child sexual activity abuse is rife

Gambian children are beingness sold to British paedophiles for as little as £2-a-fourth dimension past their desperate parents, Lord's day Online can reveal.

Huge numbers of predators are taking reward of lax laws in the poverty stricken African state to embark on sick kid corruption holidays where they openly target little boys and girls.

Sunday Online saw first hand how poor Gambian children can exist 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 by center-aged, Western men who did non appear to be 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 girl aged between half-dozen and eight having lunch with a balding, white haired man in a eating house filled with similarly aged tourists.

The same day 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-aged white woman got into a fist fight with a young black prostitute at a popular beach bar.

It was 11.30pm at night and the air was thick with cigarette fume. The child, no older than 2, was being held closely by a white human being with a British accent.

Children sold for £2

Our investigation comes as experts warn that the economic crisis unleashed past the collapse of travel firm Thomas Melt is helping turn the old British colony into a "paedophile paradise" where perverts tin operate unchecked.

Thomas Cook flew 45 per cent of The The gambia's 100,000 almanac visitors from the UK to the upper-case letter Banjul until it went into liquidation under the weight of its debts in September.

The gambia map pedophiles

In an exclusive interview, Lamin Fat, the National Coordinator of the Child Protection Alliance in 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 £two in your currency. Some of the parents know their children are being abused and they have it considering they are so desperate for food in their bellies.

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

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

The Gambia pedophiles

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

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

"I want to brand clear that this does non just involve men but besides developed women who are paying for sexual practice with teenage boys in Republic of the gambia.

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

Locals 'desperate' after Thomas Cook collapse

Equally tourism makes upwards 1-3rd of the country'due south Gdp, in that location are fears that businesses will go bosom and locals will become hungry following an estimated 50 per cent drop in economic activity that has already hitting embankment resorts.

Lawyer and children'southward rights advocate Malick Jallow told Sun Online: "While some tourists will ever want to aid poor Gambians, others will see this state of affairs 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 male child shouldn't be in a bar then belatedly at nighttime, adding: "We exercise 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 so in need.

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

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

'She didn't look comfortable at all'

Erstwhile Thomas Melt rep Anne Heap, 53, from Wigan, said: "These people are as poor as poor tin be — it's rare to see a kid wearing shoes — and there isn't any other trade for them outside tourism.

"Thomas Cook used to always requite u.s. an extra 10kg baggage allowance so the workers and passengers could bring aid boxes to The Gambia — basic things like clothes, medicine and schoolhouse equipment.

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

"Sex tourism is already huge in The The gambia — some bars are like brothels — and I exercise worry that more than children will get lured into prostitution to feed their families. When I was working at that place I would see onetime men walking with girls as immature as x, 11 or 12. At that place is a dark side to The The gambia.

"Ane time when we were flying back to Manchester at that place was a British human in his 70s with a girl who was but almost eight or nine. This was virtually eight years ago. I was so concerned near what was going on that I got chatting to him outside the toilet during the flight. I wanted to speak to the daughter too just she never left her seat, she didn't expect comfortable at all. I reported information technology and edge security later on told me the homo had been 'apprehended' but I was non able to find out what happened to him or the daughter subsequently that."

Tots paw-in-hand with 'paedos'

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

At that place is no proof to suggest that any of the men we pictured were paedophiles.

However the experts we showed our dossier of photos to said the constabulary should have questioned them according to Gambian child protection laws.

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

"It is besides forbidden for a child to exist in a bar and then late at dark and we do not encourage physical affection with minors.

"I work with young girls and boys and I would non hug them or choice them upwards, it is not appropriate."

Malick Jallow added: "I would have questioned these men had I seen them myself. Every bit a lawyer and an activist, I would want to know if they have the authorisation to be caring for that child. We have a lot of good Samaritans coming to The Republic of the gambia just nosotros also have people who use charity every bit a front to hide their bad intentions.

"The security guards should have questioned these men but there is a culture of inferiority here and they would accept been scared to challenge a wealthy Westerner."

British tourists can still wing to The gambia via Lisbon with the TAP airline or via Casablanca with Majestic Air Maroc. At that place is likewise a express direct service run by 'Republic of the gambia Feel' visitor and parcel deals can be snapped up for merely over £500 a person.

Pensioners taking teens to hotels

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

Wellness care assistant Lucy Mendy, 33, from Gloucester, was trying to enjoy a winter holiday in the land she has come to run into equally a second home — merely says she was shocked by some of the things she had witnessed during her trip.

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

"Information technology fabricated me experience ill and I wish I could have intervened, merely this is not the UK and I was scared what might have happened if I tried to confront them. People here are so poor, some of them will do annihilation for money, even if it means giving their bodies to a tourist."

Marjorie said the affect of Thomas Cook closing down was articulate to run into in the resort

Lucy's mum, pensioner Marjorie Botton, 68, also from Gloucester, added: "The plummet of Thomas Cook has hit people and so hard.

"They are getting half as many British tourists and that means they might not make enough money to go through the repose season, which starts in Apr."

Dutch tourist Corina Bouwman also witnessed suspected child 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 around with big white men. On each occasion I thought, 'What is going on here? Where is the kid's mother?' But I didn't want to charge anyone in instance I had misread the state of affairs."

'White men arroyo piddling boys and girls'

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

the gambia pedophiles britain

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

He said: "I've seen white men arroyo the little boys and girls correct hither on the beach. I exercise my all-time to finish them. "I tell the children, 'Get out of here, this is not a prophylactic place for you.' The children will run away but they normally come dorsum. It's shocking."

"Their parents are drastic for money and they know they won't be allowed home until they have sold at to the lowest degree five bags. Some men endeavour to take reward of that by offering them £50 for the whole basket. Then they will ask them to come up back to get somewhere private."

Child abuse scourge

Tragically, kid corruption is now owned in The Gambia, where 60 per cent of the 1.9m population alive beneath the poverty line.

Previous research has shown that paedophiles often pose every bit charity workers and Good Samaritans so they tin befriend poor families — and UNICEF has warned that The Republic of the gambia is i of Africa's top destinations for kid sex activity tourism.

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

They likewise pledged to give out "hefty fines" and "strong sentences" to paedophiles that are caught.

Merely incredibly there has been but ane successful prosecution since laws were tightened and that man ended upwards being pardoned by the president.

Svein Agesandakar pedophile gambia

Svein Agesandakar was jailed for sexual offences against children

Norwegian teacher Svein Agesandakar, 57, was plant guilty of abusing six children, the youngest anile iii, in 2006.

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

The paedophile had dissever convictions for child abuse in Kingdom of norway but was sentenced to just three years in jail.

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

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

Children in all countries of the world are at take a chance of trafficking and prostitution, likewise as online dangers such as grooming, sextortion and the proliferation of kid sexual abuse images.

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

To stop these crimes, knowledge and testify must be of the highest possible quality to inform decisions and guide activeness.

Predator free

In October terminal year an official UN investigation found that Gambia's tourist areas continue to be a dangerous place for children and that predators now stay in motels and private apartments and so they can avert prying eyes.

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

"Some cases have also reportedly been dismissed on the grounds that statements past child victims were allegedly inconsistent."

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

A report by the Contained Enquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) constitute more needs to be done to make sure offenders operating in poor countries similar Gambia are caught and prosecuted.

Calling for a new national plan to tackle the problem, Debbie Beadle, Managing director of Programmes at the child protection arrangement ECPAT UK, said: "We promise that past bringing these institutional failings to light, the UK tin can get a world 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 kid sex ring from charity set up up to 'aid' homeless kids

Terminate Child Prostitution and Trafficking - ECPAT is conducting main research, as well as bringing together information from diverse sectors and countries around the world, to class 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. You can donate to ECPAT here .