Foroyaa considers the exposure of 22 youth on television for allegedly being found on board transports heading for Mali as common criminals is unfair and unjustifiable. What should be fought is trafficking in human beings. The person who is subjected to human trafficking even if he is made to believe that he is pursuing an interest is a victim and not a culprit. Such victims should not be paraded before national televisions and humiliated.

Sovereign Gambian citizens deserve respect and protection. Section 25 Subsection 2 of the Constitution of the Gambia states categorically that:

'Every person lawfully within the Gambia shall have the right to move freely throughout the Gambia, to choose his or her own place of residence within the Gambia and to leave the Gambia."

People have a right to leave the Gambia. If the Gambia Government has a programme for young people, this is the opportunity to convince the young people that they have an option for them. Instead of subjecting the young people to such humiliation, the Department of Youth and Sports should have a Counseling Service where the police and Immigration officers could refer such young people who have noble ambitions to succeed but are led to believe that they could only do so by going through the back way, if that was indeed what the young people were trying to do, for guidance.

They should be able to provide them with an alternative course of action to justify any attempt to stop them from traveling.

We hope the Minister of Youth and Sports would intervene immediately to rescue the young people and then hold a public programme with them to show the whole nation the alternative programme they have in place for them. If this is not done, Foroyaa will follow the youth to find out what option government has given them after they have been prevented from leaving the Gambia.