Huckle is not the only perpetrator
From Walk Free
Two weeks ago, Richard Huckle – a British man – was given 22 life sentences for 71 charges of child sexual exploitation perpetrated against children in Malaysia.[1] These children were aged between six months to 12 years old. This is child slavery.
Help stop this happening elsewhere.
The horrors Huckle unleashed on vulnerable children over a span of eight years is unimaginable. Whilst he has finally been made to face justice, there are many more like him. Exploiting the fact that international monitoring, data collection and sharing between countries is poor, they move undetected and act with impunity preying on the most vulnerable children whose voices aren’t heard.
Let’s stop the Huckles of this world and take action now.
Kenya is a known destination for sex offenders. Just last year a British man was jailed for over 17 years for abusing Kenyan children.[2] But right now we have an opportunity to begin addressing the gaps in international coordination on cases of transnational child sex abuse, starting with the UK.
The Kenyan authorities have called on the UK for help. To respond effectively, the British Embassy in Kenya should host a permanent specialist officer to ensure more offenders are stopped and prosecuted. If we grab this opportunity, we can show that strong law enforcement collaboration can help end this horrific slavery everywhere.
Together we must show that greater coordination across borders will help bring these criminals to justice, and prevent this form of child slavery being overlooked for decades. Urging the British Government to support the Kenyan authorities with a dedicated specialist officer based in their embassy in Kenya is the first step in the right direction.
P.S. Richard Huckle’s arrest was made possible thanks to collaboration between Australian and British police.[3] This should be the norm. We have to start somewhere, so let’s start here.
See also iNews Cayman story published June 6 2016 “Briton Richard Huckle jailed for Malaysia sex abuse” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/briton-richard-huckle-jailed-for-malaysia-sex-abuse/
