A police chief in Tanzania’s capital Dodoma has been removed from her post after controversial comments linking an alleged gang rape victim to sex work.
Earlier this month, a video purportedly showing a young woman being attacked by five men went viral in the East African country, sparking outrage among the public.
On Sunday, the police chief of the capital Dodoma was quoted in a Tanzanian newspaper in which he said that “the woman in question apparently performed sex work.”
Following negative reactions and accusations that the comment trivialized the woman’s ordeal, Tanzania’s national police apologized and said the commander had been transferred.
“The police would like to apologize to anyone who was offended by the statement that circulated in the media. An investigation is currently underway to determine its veracity,” said David Misime, spokesman for the national police, on Monday.
Mr Msime added that Dodoma regional commander Theopista Mallya, in her comments to local newspaper Mwananchi, had said that even if the woman was a sex worker, “she did not deserve to be treated that way”.
These words did not appear in Mwananchi’s report.
In the video showing the woman being raped, the suspects interrogate her and force her to apologize to someone called ‘afande’.
In Tanzania, “afande” is often used to refer to a soldier or police officer. Many activists and social media users expressed outrage that a sexual assault allegedly took place on the orders of a member of the security services.
“The investigation revealed that the youths were not acting on orders from officers; they were merely under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” Mallya told Mwananchi.
“But the woman in question appeared to be involved in sex work,” she said.
Following public outcry over Ms Mallya’s comments, the Tanzania National Police said she had been transferred to the police station, but it is not clear whether this is temporary or permanent.
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