Burkina Faso’s justice minister has instructed prosecutors to stop using alternative prosecution mechanisms in cases of rape involving minors and to seek harsher sentences, according to a circular seen by APA.
In a circular dated July 17 and addressed to prosecutors general at courts of appeal as well as state prosecutors at high courts, Justice minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala has tightened criminal policy guidelines regarding sexual violence against children.
The document highlights a rise in cases of rape committed against minors and notes that some judicial decisions, considered insufficiently severe, risk weakening the deterrent effect of criminal sanctions and undermining public confidence in the justice system.
The minister has therefore instructed public prosecutors to no longer resort to criminal mediation or plea-based settlement procedures in such cases. He has also directed them not to request community service sentences before trial courts.
The circular calls on prosecutors to seek sentences that are proportionate to the seriousness of the offences and, where circumstances warrant, to request the maximum penalties provided for by law.
It further orders prosecutors to immediately appeal decisions when the sentences handed down are deemed clearly inadequate in light of the seriousness of the acts, the circumstances in which they were committed, the offender’s profile or the need to prevent repeat offences.
The minister stressed that protecting children from sexual violence is a priority of Burkina Faso’s criminal justice policy and called on prosecutors to personally ensure the implementation of these new guidelines, according to the circular.
HO/Sf/lb/as/APA