Women Activists in Sierra Leone speak out against child pornography

Civil rights women organizations in the country have issued a series of press releases today 13 April condemning child pornography and cyberbullying. Their releases were issued this morning on their social media platforms.

Their releases came after a video showing a teenage schoolgirl in her school uniform having sexual intercourse with a boy started circulating on social media platforms. 

The Asmaa James Foundation, Feminist United and Allies, Female in Sierra Leone and Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality Rights and Social Justice (LAWYERS) are few of the organizations that have so far taken a stand on the said matter.

They issued the press release condemning any act of sharing the video which is categorized as child pornography.

The Asmaa James Foundation advised every law-abiding citizen to empathize rather than engage in derogatory conversations which will further discriminate and victimizes the girl in the video.

Feminist United Sierra Leone has called on members of the public to desist from circulating the video, while they called on the Administration of the Annie Walsh Memorial School not to consider expulsion of the girl as it will be an ‘outright show of discrimination’ which has the tendency to badly affect the psychological well-being of the victim.

The Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality Rights and Social Justice (LAWYERS) has asked the police to take the investigation very seriously in order to bring the perpetrators including the cyberbullies and those forwarding the video to book as this is a serious offense.

According to the sexual offenses act of 2012 part 3 section 27 and 27 which talks about producing and distributing child pornography and possessing or accessing child pornography states that child pornography is illegal. 

Section 26 states that a person who (a) makes, produces, distributes, transmits, prints or publishes child pornography; (b) imports, exports, advertises, sells or shows child pornography; or (c) possesses child pornography for the purpose of distributing, publishing, exporting, selling or showing it commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 10 years.

Section 27 states that a person who knowingly (a) possesses child pornography; or (b) accesses child pornography by causing child pornography to be viewed by or transmitted to himself or herself, commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 10 years.