A police commander in Tanzania’s capital Dodoma has been sacked for making controversial comments linking an alleged gang rape victim to sex work.
Earlier this month, a video that appeared to show a young woman being attacked by five men went viral in the East African country, sparking a public outcry.
The police commander in the capital Dodoma was quoted as saying in a statement on Sunday. tanzanian newspapers “The woman appears to be engaged in sex work,” he said.
After facing backlash and accusations that the comment trivialized the woman’s pain, Tanzania’s national police force apologized and said the commander had been transferred.
“The police would like to apologize to anyone who was moved and offended by the statement circulating in the media and are monitoring its accuracy,” National Police spokesman David Missim said on Monday.
Mr Msim added that Dodoma district commander Theopista Mallya said in comments to local newspaper Mwananchi that even if the woman was a sex worker, “she did not deserve to be treated like that”.
These words did not appear in Mwananchi’s report – and the BBC has contacted the newspaper for comment.
Responding to Mwananchi’s report, lawyer Peter Madeleka said on social media platform
Lawyer and prominent activist Fatma Karume also expressed anger at X, writing: “Can’t those who sell themselves out be raped in this country?”
In the video, the woman appears to be raped and the suspect reportedly interrogates her, forcing her to apologize to a man known as “afande.”
In Tanzania, where “afande” is often used to refer to soldiers or police officers, many activists and social media users have expressed anger at members of the security forces ordering sexual assaults.
Ms Mallia told Mwananchi: “Investigations revealed that these young men were not acting on the orders of any police officer; they were simply under the influence of alcohol and drugs.”
“However, this woman appears to be engaged in sex work,” she said.
After Ms Malia faced public backlash for her comments, Tanzania’s national police said she had been transferred to police headquarters, but it was unclear whether this would be temporary or permanent.
The gang-rape suspect is due to appear in court later Monday.
It’s unclear when the video was filmed, but the victims were reportedly residents of Yombdovia, a suburb of Dar es Salaam, the country’s largest city.
