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Ben Ouedraogo, the father
of a girl who was sexually assaulted by a French soldier
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The father of a 5-year-old girl who a French prosecutor says
was sexually abused by a French soldier has hired a lawyer and vowed on Sunday
to follow legal proceedings closely to ensure justice is done.
Allegations against two
soldiers were disclosed last week. They were suspended and arrested upon their
return to France, though the Paris prosecutors' spokeswoman said Saturday that
one had been released without charges.
AP report continues:
It is the second case of
alleged sexual abuse of minors by French soldiers in Africa to surface in
recent months. French officials have insisted that the Burkina Faso case is
unrelated to one in Central African Republic. In that case, officials have come
under heavy criticism for not following up quickly on initial allegations.
France has troops in
Burkina Faso and nearby countries as part of a large force fighting extremists
in the region.
Ben Ouedraogo, the father
of the 5-year-old, told The Associated Press on Sunday he disagreed with the
decision to repatriate the soldiers, though officials have said this was done
in line with agreements between the two countries.
"They told us that
this type of case is an affair for the French justice system and that they
can't be judged in Burkina. I find it unacceptable but it doesn't concern
me," he said.
He said his daughter and
a 3-year-old friend were at a swimming pool when the incident occurred, and
that one of the soldiers inadvertently left behind a device with footage of the
abuse.
The video evidence should
be enough to secure a conviction without forcing the victims to testify,
Ouedraogo said.
While he has not filed a
complaint in Burkina Faso, Ouedraogo said he planned to start a campaign to
educate parents on how to protect their children from pedophiles.
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