On June 1, 2023, the Senegalese court finally ruled on the Sweet Beauty case, in which Adji Sarr, a young employee of this massage parlor, had accused Ousmane Sonko, president of the Pastef political party and presidential candidate, of rape in 2024.
The defendant was acquitted of the death threats and the rape allegations were ruled juvenile corruption. They sentenced him to two years in prison and to pay the victim Adji Sarr 20 million CFA francs (about 30,489 euros) and 600,000 CFA francs (914.69 euros) in damages. Ndèye Khady Ndiaye, owner of the massage parlour, was also sentenced to two years in prison, fined FCFA 600,000 and had her parlor closed for inciting debauchery.
For days after this verdict, Senegal was rocked by an escalation of violent unrest that resulted in deaths, the rape of women, and the looting of public and private property. According to official sources, more than 20 people died, 500 were arrested, eight cases of sexual violence against women were reported, as well as numerous missing persons.
A feminist reading of the phrase
Whichever way you look at it, this ruling is a major blow to the fight for women’s rights in Senegal, particularly given the progress made in criminalizing rape in the country. In this case, the rape was not dismissed but classified as a juvenile delinquency, underscoring the unhealthy nature of Ousmane Sonko’s and Adji Sarr’s sexual relationship.
Lawyers explain youth corruption as a form of moral coercion or psychological pressure exerted by an adult on a person under the age of 21. At the time of the incident, Adji Sarr was 19 and Ousmane Sonko was 46. Given Adji Sarr’s precarious social status, this verdict suggests that there was illicit sexual contact between them, but does not constitute rape.
Rape is one of the most difficult crimes to prove in a legal system with sexist institutions, where the burden of proof rests on the shoulders of the complainant.
Rape is one of the most difficult crimes to prove in a legal system with sexist institutions, where the burden of proof rests on the shoulders of the complainant. Those who believe the victims’ words, such as Adji Sarr, believe that the defendants’ reputation and notoriety worked in their favor, causing the facts to be reclassified, with doubt always benefiting the defendants. However, the conviction of Ndèye Khady Ndiaye (owner of the premises) underscores the fact that the massage parlor was not intended exclusively for legitimate activities. Some of the services offered by the establishment obviously have sexual connotations.
The judiciary (mostly men) seem reluctant to apply the country’s recent law criminalizing rape. Recall that despite decades of struggle by women’s defense organizations in Senegal, rape is still considered a minor crime and the law criminalizing it was enacted in January 2020 after several cases of rape ended in murder. The reluctance to apply this law and the frequency with which rape complaints are reclassified demonstrate the recalcitrance of the courts in handling cases.
Rape is widespread and frequent in the country. The accused almost always get off scot-free. All conversations and actions surrounding the trial and the verdict reveal a range of social realities in Senegal, in particular the vulnerability of young women subjected to a patriarchal system that is reinforced by their exploitation.
The process of vulnerability in which young women with the profile of Adji Sarr find themselves, puts them at the crossroads of a series of oppressions such as sexism, classism and sexual exploitation, even more in a precarious situation, even more when they engage in certain things Jobs that can make them easy prey.
It should be noted that the deterioration in the living conditions of the population particularly affects young people and women, who are doubly affected. Whether in education, health care, business or political representation in decision-making bodies: women’s rights are increasingly being trampled on.
By exploiting a private matter for political ends, both the opposition and the ruling party agree on one thing: They are undermining women’s words and bodies, while deepening their oppression in a misogynistic society. Currently, the whole country is caught between the whims of two powerful men, while Adji Sarr’s body is being thrown between the two sides like a punching bag.
Femicide is on the rise, violence of all kinds is on the rise, yet few dare to break the silence or take legal action to demand redress. If we add to this the recent hardening (radicalization) of the political discourse and the closure of the civic space, we witness the rise of a male-centric discourse in which the demands of Senegalese women remain on the periphery and are not considered . Account.
Femicide is on the rise, violence of all kinds is on the rise, yet few dare to break the silence or take legal action to demand redress.
What has become clear over the last few weeks is that we are witnessing a misogynistic debate being waged by men in front of the media by making the survivors and the original events invisible. Endemic violence (both verbal and physical) against women and girls is widespread in the country. Another recent fact is that 36 girls between the ages of 6 and 16 were sexually abused by a Koran teacher from the Touba area. He turned himself in to the police, what happened next? We do not know. Meanwhile, his victims live with the trauma. There is even talk of their marginalization within the community, where they are blamed for what happened to them.
A belittling of rape
In Senegal, rape is often trivialized, partly because the people’s court, in order to blame the victims, often questions the credibility of their statements. Furthermore, most offenders cynically blame a perverted game of covert-consensual flirting for a sexual assault.
Allegations that Adji Sarr was manipulated into charging Ousmane Sonko also reinforce sexist stereotypes while infantilizing the victim by implying that women are incapable of identifying possible cases of sexual violence on their own.
Senegalese feminists fight for a more egalitarian country where peace, justice and human dignity no longer remain the macho privilege of a handful
Rape is the simplest form of control over abused bodies and is more common among women. In the recent riots, eight women, including three students from Assane Seck University in Ziguinchor and five others, were raped by hooded men who stormed the Columbia hotel bar in Diamniadio.
Media coverage of the Sweet Beauty case over the past two years has also exacerbated latent misogyny, fueled by the pathological eroticism with which the local press analyzes cases involving sexual violence.
The hunt for feminists
It must be stressed that the verdict added to the uncertainty of the feminists who supported Adji Sarr’s speech. During the riots on June 1 and 2, 2023, a feminist activist was harassed by young demonstrators. Likewise, the identities of several Senegalese feminists have been published on social networks, exposing their lives to the tendencies of the People’s Court to intimidate and silence them.
It is paradoxical that in other cases of sexual abuse, society resorts to feminist voices to support the victims; However, in cases similar to Sweet Beauty, the same voices are attacked when the issue affects a political leader’s credibility. It turns out that both activists and researchers on gender issues are being used as a double-edged sword. In similar cases, their experience is often invoked, but in this particular case, when a personality’s credibility is questioned, the words of the feminists themselves are discredited because they don’t matter.
It should be remembered that the secret silence of the President of the Republic for a third term affects the situation of women and increases their vulnerability, since it served as a pretext for politicizing a private matter between two Senegalese citizens.
Senegalese feminists fight for a more egalitarian country where peace, justice and human dignity no longer remain the macho privilege of a handful.
The authors write on behalf of the Senegalese Feminist Network.
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