Sister of the teenage girl raped by a volunteer nurse in Brikama last year has welcomed his rape conviction.

Modou Touray, 38, of Brikama Gidda,

was sentenced today at Brikama Magistrates Court after being found guilty of rape following an earlier trial.

Touray was handed a 20 year mandatory jail term and ordered to pay D50,000 compensation to the victim.

Fatoumata Saidykhan, the victim’s sister, spoke of her family’s relief after the verdict and said her sister will now begin the long road to recovery.

“As she is still finding her way to comfortably narrating what happened to her, she has asked that I share her story to inspire hope,” said Ms Saidykhan an activist and alumna of Starfish International. 

“The perpetrator was a community member who people visited at his house when they had minor health problems. He was supposed to be a source of hope and healing for our people but instead, he used the trust given to him by the community to defile my sister. 

“I vividly remember that morning and how the news of her rape case hit me like a ton of bricks. 

“I thought about all the pending rape cases, all the insults that she and my family would receive, and most importantly, how I would restore my sister’s hope so she could continue to thrive, to go to The University of The Gambia, and to become one of the best journalists The Gambia can have.”

Ms Saidykhan added: “As I sit here after ten months, finally being able to breathe and smile wholeheartedly again, I know there are things my sister and I have lost that can never be regained. 

“During our journey to justice, we have seen family members who sidelined us and publicly humiliated us. But, also had family members even wake us up to remind us to go to court on time. 

“We have received insults from the perpetrator’s family members and friends and have sometimes felt alone in the journey. Not every police officer supported us. Not every prosecutor believed in us. 

“But without a doubt, I know having an education, the ability to make good decisions, and the voice to speak up and speak out as a young girl in a patriarchal society, is what made this justice reachable.”