Rape crimes still on the increase

 RAPE offences on girls under the age of 18 accounted for 38 percent of all the crimes committed in the isles last year, Zanzibar Mail Data reveals.

According to the report, rape offences increased by 18.5 in 2019 compared to the same period in 2018.

During the period under review, 594 rape offences out of 1,578 crimes were reported, while in 2018 out of 1,669 crimes reported, 484 were rape offences for the under-aged girls.

 “Every month, 50 cases of rape against children are reported in the Isles in what is becoming a worrying trend,” part of the report indicated.

The study shows, during the past five years from 2015-2019, out of 8,521 crimes registered, 2,043 or 24 in every 100 the victims were girls in ages under 18 years.

Isles Minister of Labour, Empowerment, Elderly, Women and Children, Dr. Maudline Castico, has reiterated the urgent need to implement the law which imposes harsher punishment for child rape.

She told the Zanzibar Mail that, despite the enacted new law against child sex offenders, some magistrates still pronounce lenient sentences against the convicts and thereby increase the offences.

“It’s inconceivable that well-known offenders in the community are sentenced to lesser punishments,” she said.

She noted the need for doctors to be exposed on gender-based violence issues in the society for proper handling of the victims who seek treatment in health facilities.

“It is painful at times to see solid cases ruled out easily because of the failure by doctors to produce evidence and those who do so seem not to know exactly what they were looking for when examining victims of gender-based violence,” she observed.

 Zanzibar Female Lawyers Association (ZAFELA) Director, Jamila Mahmoud, said that there were instances in which victims of gender-based violence were not issued with medical reports (P3 forms) at police stations and hospitals, making it difficult for them to pursue their attackers.

TAMWA-Zanzibar Director, Dr. Mzuri Issa, said there have been cases of rape convicts being sentenced to lesser punishments while the law clearly specifies that such offenders should get a 30-year or life imprisonment.

 “We have cases with evidence that the girls have been raped but the accused person was sentenced to five years jail which is contrary to the law,” she said.

Zakia Omar of Makunduchi village, Unguja South Region whose 16-year-old daughter was raped said that police should work closely with community members and Shehas to ensure that gender-based violence cases were reported, culprits arrested and prosecuted.

"My daughter was raped and the accused was arrested but the co-operation between the law enforcement agencies was limited which resulted in the accused being imprisoned for five years," she commented.