KB:
This report from the Observer seems to confirm your report.

Report as follows:

Mrs Isatou Touray, a leading gender activist, has condemned the mistreatment
meted out to women suspected of being sex workers by armed attackers who
vandalised pubs and motels in the Kanifing municipality early Monday.

Speaking at the Gamcotrap office, yesterday, Mrs Touray urged the government
to bring the perpetrators to book.

"The attack was on women. There was a woman who was beaten. Some women were
stripped and apparently up to the time I am talking to you, what they are
saying is that the police are doing something, but there is nothing definite
yet that has come out," said Mrs Touray. Mrs Touray deplored that the women
were subjected to mental and physical torture, which she said was a gross
violation of their fundamental rights. "Something has to be done.

They are part of the state, they have a right, and being single does not mean
you are a sex worker. You have a freedom to live and entertain and enjoy your
life as and when you like it. That does not mean you are doing sex work and
in any case, it takes both men and women to do sex work," Mrs Touray charged.
She decried "the mistreatment and other inhuman treatment" meted out to
Gambian women. "I think there are certain things that are going on in this
country with regards to women's lives.

That is, any group or vigilante group, can just get up and say these women
are X, these women are involved in bleaching, these women are putting on
short dresses, these women are this and that. I think it is unfair to women.
Their individual rights, their sexual rights, their individuality is being
undermined, their existence is being eroded," she queried.

Mrs Touray complained that Gambian women are being marginalised even though
they constitute 51 per cent of the population. She said women have been
contributing to all aspects of the socio-economic development of the country.
She also complained about the slow pace of justice in cases involving women.

"There are certain things that are happening, which if they happen to a
specific group who are not women, will prompt immediate response. In this
case, since... we have not heard any statement yet neither from people who
matter excepts the police who have been interviewed by the BBC or whatever,
giving out the state of the issue.

Women are being threatened and I am telling you that every Gambian women for
that matter is threatened and is actually thinking of some other things. I
wonder if this will not be translated into negative votes in the next coming
elections, because women have right to self-determination," Mrs Touray said.
'What should not happen Should not happen' Contacted for comments on the
Monday attacks, the Vocal State House imam, Alhaji Abdoulie Fatty, said, "I
do not want to comment at the moment because I do not have any idea about
what happened.

" However, Imam Fatty said, "We all want peace and stability in this country.
We all want to go to bed in peace and wake up in peace and live with our
family. Nobody wants to be a refugee. That has really scared me a lot, but
being government or individuals, we should all try and do our work. We should
ensure that what should happen should happen, what should not happen should
not happen." But Imam Fatty said he totally condemns prostitution in the
country. Bar owner In a separate development, Ajaratou Mansaray Conteh, a
Sierra Leonean refugee and owner of All Ice International, said the Monday
attackers vandalised her bar.

She added that the attackers also went to her apartment and threatened to
kill her after vandalising the apartment. She explained, "The boys said they
have a message from the authorities that they should burn the motels and the
bars, because this country is a Muslim country. I said we are paying tax. The
boys said you are a foreigner, we will kill you. You are making money on our
heads. I said no problem." Update Meanwhile, at least 64 people have been
arrested in connection with the rampage. Among them were 20 non-Gambians.

Most of the detainees have been held at Kairaba police station. Police
insiders said they are looking for more people and that their investigations
were progressing well. The police insider said their investigations revealed
that although the attacks were an organised crime, there was no link to any
religious movement as speculated by many people. The police source also
confirmed those 13 bars and motels were attacked; three were burnt down, six
seriously vandalised.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------