The case of a university lecturer arrested on Monday, January 19, over alleged child defilement and sexual exploitation has been submitted to the prosecution, according to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB). ALSO READ: University lecturer arrested over sexual abuse Benjamin Manirakiza, 41, whose employing university was not disclosed, sexually abused female students in secondary schools, all below the age of 18, after allegedly luring them with money, according to RIB spokesperson Murangira Thierry. The accused was arrested alongside three other suspects, Fidela Ineza, Vanessa Mucyo and Hamida Umuhoza who are also under investigation for conspiracy to commit a crime and profiting from another person’s sexual exploitation. All the suspects are currently detained at the Rwezamenyo RIB station in Nyarugenge District. ALSO READ: Debate grows over proposed tribunal for child defilement cases How the crimes were committed Preliminary investigations by RIB revealed that, at different times, the lecturer paid money to underage girls in secondary schools before having sex with them. Murangira told The New Times that the alleged accomplices played a facilitative role in the commission of the crimes. “Ineza Fidela, a student at a vocational school in Nyarugenge District, Mucyo Vanessa, who works at a bar in Nyamirambo, and Umuhoza Hamida, a masseuse based in Nyamirambo all had sexual relations with Manirakiza,” Murangira said. “He then asked them to recruit younger girls for him, paying them commission fees ranging between Rwf5,000 and Rwf20,000 each time they brought him children,” he added. Murangira noted that each suspect independently connected the lecturer with schoolgirls from different schools, including in Kigali, in exchange for payment. ALSO READ: Lawmaker says teenage pregnancies should be treated as ‘epidemic’ Charges and penalties Manirakiza is charged with child defilement. If found guilty, he faces imprisonment of between 20 and 25 years, according to the law determining offences and penalties in general. He and the three other suspects are charged with profiting from another person’s sexual exploitation, which, according to the law on the prevention, suppression and punishment of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, attracts two to three years of imprisonment and a fine ranging from Rwf3 million to Rwf5 million. Manirakiza, Umuhoza, Ineza and Mucyo are also charged with conspiracy to commit a crime. ALSO READ: Govt to roll out prenatal paternity DNA testing in defilement cases The law criminalises acts committed for profit, including encouraging, persuading, misleading, coercing or otherwise inducing a person into sexual activity; offering or receiving payment for sexual acts; harbouring individuals engaged in sexual exploitation; advertising or facilitating such acts; managing premises used for sexual exploitation; investing in or knowingly benefiting from such premises; and providing rental spaces while aware they are used for sexual exploitation. ALSO READ: What will it take for Rwanda to rein in the teenage pregnancy menace? Murangira warned against a growing practice commonly referred to as “giving a pass” or “a plot,” where a person links two people often for sexual purposes. He describes it as a serious criminal offence when it involves minors. “When such a ‘pass’ or ‘plot’ is done by an adult to a child, sending a child to another adult for sexual abuse, it may result in several crimes, including conspiracy to commit a crime, being an accomplice to child defilement, and profiting from another person’s sexual exploitation,” he said. ALSO READ: EDITORIAL: Covering up defilement is the same as committing the act He stressed that RIB will not tolerate such acts. “It is especially disgraceful to find an educator involved in crimes of sexually abusing underage students and luring them with money. Such acts are unacceptable and must not be tolerated,” Murangira said. The spokesperson urged the public to continue reporting such cases so that offenders can be brought to justice.
