Police in the Gambia have arrested a woman who was filmed whacking her 8-year-old niece with a wooden pestle.
Adama Jarju, 30, of Lamin Kerewan, Kombos North, was arrested Monday after a video of her hitting her niece with a pestle was posted on social media. It is not clear exactly when the video was taken but police said the young girl did sustain some severe injuries.
A statement from the Gambia Police said while investigation into the matter is ongoing, Adama has admitted hitting the unnamed girl, left in her care by her sister.
She admitted to the police that she snapped and hit her niece after she failed to do some chores she had assigned to her.
Corporal punishment is common in the Gambia and police are often reluctant to criminalise parents for hitting their children. But police are now warning parents to desist from the abuse and maltreatment of children as there is zero tolerance for such kind of behaviour.
The police reiterated that any individual found wanting will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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