Dodoma police commander transferred for linking Tanzania gang-rape victim to sex work

A police commander in Tanzania’s capital, Dodoma, has been removed from her post following controversial comments in which she linked an alleged gang-rape victim to sex work.

Earlier this month a video appearing to show a young woman being assaulted by five men went viral in the East African country, prompting an outcry among the public.

On Sunday, the police commander in the capital, Dodoma, was quoted in a Tanzanian newspaper as saying the “woman in question appeared to be engaged in sex work”.

Following a backlash and accusations that the comment minimised the woman’s ordeal, Tanzania’s national police force apologised and said the commander had been transferred.

“The police force would like to apologise to everyone who was touched and offended by the statement circulating in the media while monitoring is being done to find its accuracy,” national police spokesperson David Misime said on Monday.

Mr Msime added that in her comments to local newspaper Mwananchi, Dodoma Regional Commander Theopista Mallya 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 – the BBC has contacted the newspaper for comment.

In response to Mwananchi’s report, lawyer Peter Madeleka said on social media platform X that Ms Mallya’s comments were “proof of police cruelty to women’s rights”.

Fatma Karume, a lawyer and prominent activist, also expressed outrage on X, writing: “Those who sell themselves can not be raped in this country?”

In the video appearing to show the woman being raped, the suspects reportedly interrogate her, forcing her to apologise to someone referred to as “afande”.

In Tanzania “afande” is often used to refer to a soldier or police officer, so many activists and social media users expressed outrage that a sexual assault could have been carried out on the orders of a member of the security forces.

“The investigation revealed that the youths were not acting on orders from any officers; they were merely under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” Ms Mallya told Mwananchi.

“However the woman in question appeared to be engaged in sex work,” she said.

Following the public backlash over Ms Mallya’s comments, Tanzania’s national police said she had been transferred to the police headquarters, though it is not clear whether this is temporary or permanent.

The suspects in the alleged gang rape are due to appear in court later on Monday.

It is unclear when the video was filmed but the victim was reportedly a resident of Yombo Dovya, a suburb in the country’s largest city, Dar es Salaam.