By: Mabinty M Kamara

Claim

A girl was cruelly beaten up by her uncle because she wore an APC T-Shirt; the uncle wanted her to wear an SLPP T-Shirt instead.

Verdict: MISLEADING

Full Text

A video circulating on social media shows a girl who had been violently beaten by her uncle, allegedly because she was wearing an All Peoples Congress (APC) T-shirt in Mile-91. However, our fact-checking investigation reveals that the claim is misleading. The video was also shared on the Awareness Network blog

https://fb.watch/l9gWUbkskb/?mibextid=6aamW6

The accompanying text states,

“Sad moment for this boy [girl] living at Mile 91 APC severely dealt with[her for wearing an SLPP-T-Shirt] him to wear SLPP T-shirt. This is human rights violation? We’re calling on the government, the police, the human rights organizations and the Civil societies to take immediate action and put a stop to this nonsense.”

Methodology:

To verify this claim, our SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom fact-checkers reached out to the Sierra Leone Police and fellow journalists in Mile 19, Tonkolili District, Northern Sierra Leone. Chief Inspector Alhassan Kamara, the Line Manager attached to the Family Support Unit (FSU) at Mile 91, confirmed that they are indeed investigating a case involving the girl and her maternal grandfather, Mustapha.

According to their investigation, the girl went out on June 3rd, which coincided with the APC campaign date in the town, and didn’t return home until the next day, June 4th, 2023. Inspector Kamara stated that their investigation has not found any evidence suggesting political motivations behind the grandfather’s actions. The grandfather claimed that it was a disciplinary measure that had escalated beyond intended proportions. Importantly, the girl was wearing a plain red blouse with no political inscription, contrary to the claim that she was wearing an APC T-shirt.

Inspector Kamara emphasised that since the girl is underage and has no understanding of politics, they are treating the incident as a case of child cruelty and domestic violence.

“She was wearing a white and red blouse. She is an underage girl so we cannot attribute the incident to politics because she knows nothing about politics, so we are investigating child cruelty and domestic violence,” he said.

Conclusions:

There is no evidence to show that the abuse was politically motivated.
The child was not wearing an APC T-Shirt but a plain red blouse.
The grandfather actually assaulted the child.

Note: This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens to have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

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