By Few weeks ago, a sex video was reportedly released to the public in Liberia against the aggreement of the female victim involved. In reaction to the unethical act, the Sexual Gender Based Violence Unit (SGBV) at the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said it is ready to press criminal charges against the man who leaked the sex video to the public.
Recently, John Gabriel, the SGBV director, made the disclosure during a press conference in Monrovia, where he said the leak violates Section 18.17 of the Criminal Procedure Law and the that the producer must be punished severely:
“We are going to ensure that the perpetrator is arrested and investigated by state security, and will work along with the victim, while carrying out the investigation.”
Further more, Gabriel said since the video is a criminal offense, the state has to intervene so that justice can reveal:
“The unseen material is a criminal offense and we believe a crime has been committed, because this nude video have been leaked to our underage children, which has created serious attention for which the ministry is prepared to bring the perpetrator to justice,” he said.
In addition, Gabriel called on the victim to join the ministry in the process so that the investigation would yield a fruitful result. He told the media that even though the ministry has not received any official compliant from the victim, the issue has claimed the attention of the citizenry nationwide, causing the victim to go into hiding to protect her image which has violated some of her rights as a citizen.
It has been confirmed that the ministry is working really hard to bring charges against the perpetrator. Also, there are reports that Sambola, who is at the center of the allegation, has left the country, with no idea of his whereabouts. Reports also confirmed that prior to Sambola reportedly leaving the country, he had also lost his jobs at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the University of Liberia, and the United Methodist University.
Many Liberian women are against this shameful act. They have expressed shock and dismay, saying Sambola’s action is disgraceful and has exposed one of the many immoral and indecent acts prevalent in the Liberian society.
The ministry of justice’s action came after the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) condemned the post in the strongest terms and put the blame squarely on Sambola. In a press release, the MGCSP described the sex video as a disgraceful and uncivilized action that further undermines the dignity of womanhood. The Gender Ministry said its investigation revealed that the video was made a long time ago, but was made public due to an undisclosed misunderstanding between the lovers.
Many Liberian women are waiting for justice to be served. Some are also excited that the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the University of Liberia, and the United Methodist University took a bold step by dismissing Sambola. “It is a first step to justice serving”, said a concerned female Liberian.