Intimacy is one of the essential things that maintain a strong and healthy romantic relationship. With it, couples tend to find it exciting and exhilarating to embark on thrilling adventures with each other, like for instance, recording intimate moments; outside, or even in the bedroom.
However, when Tiwa Savage, popular Afropop Artist and self-proclaimed Mother of Africa revealed in an article published by BBC News on the 8th of October that a sex tape she happened to record with her partner was going to be inevitably released by anonymous blackmailers, it had become apparent that many people engage in recorded sexual encounters more often than one might think.
Just days after this scandal shook the very core of the Nigerian social scene, I went out with my friend, Ose, a bubbly, beautiful 300 Level student of Mass Communication, for lunch. When I brought up the Tiwa situation, she told me that she herself has made multiple sex tapes with she and her man, and enjoys rewatching them.
It’s like watching porn except they are the main characters. Being in a distant relationship isn’t easy, she explains, so they tend to revisit memories shared in secret to keep them until they meet again. However, with the current evolution of technology, intimate moments are susceptible to consumption by a very public domain.
What happens when lovers turn into enemies and one decides to leak intimidating moments for the world to see out of pure spite? This is what is commonly referred to as revenge porn in other parts of the world.
Revenge Porn
Revenge porn is the distribution of explicit or sexual images without the consent of the person featured in them. It is common among individuals who can be as young as 15 to adults of varying ages and gender. Even prominent individuals find themselves the subject of this criminal act, just like Tiwa Savage and Kim Kardashian.
This sudden boom of technological advancement, which according to Czech Philosopher, Radon Rishta, is the radical transformation of society through scientific development, is the same phenomenon that has encouraged numerous forms of online sexual activity amongst teenagers, including exchanging nudes.
Some even go as far as releasing them on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, which is quite risky, because when it comes to the internet, nothing can ever truly be deleted.
The evolution of technology has given rise to the epidemic spread of sexually explicit content amongst which we find revenge porn in the mix. The act of revenge porn In Nigeria has become ubiquitous. People live off blackmailing people with nudes and other visual sexual activities.
The Criminal code and the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015 Section 25 are the only Nigerian enactment covering the field of revenge porn, although both don’t actually mention the crime nor do they provide sanctions to keep up with our present level of technology.
This begs the question: Is It Time To Make Revenge Porn Illegal In Nigeria? Leave your comments in the comment section!
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I personally have a saying…if it doesn’t concern you, don’t post it. Revenge porn is a stupid crime and should have strict punishment. Don’t post people private moments without their permission. If feel you do, you should suffer The harshest forms of punishment.
Yes, it should.
Regardless of how immoral many would say recording the intimate moments with your partner is, still doesn’t give room for the exposition of such moments without the consent of the other party involved, and making this act Illegal by the Nigerian policy is something that I’m hundred percent in support of.
Revenge porn is already illegal and covered under the cyber crime act—the provision is not vague. States have also enacted different laws to curb this menace and it can also be covered under blackmail.
It’s plain stupid to share videos and images that are intended to be private in a public domain.
This level of breach of trust and privacy should definitely be illegal no two ways about it
Why record those intimate moments on camera ? They are supposed to be personal moments between couples, so what are the pictures and videos for ??
Making it illegal and Implimenting the law is best step to take to curb the menace of spreading immorality and sexual blackmailing all in the name of revenge
Yes, it should, on are serious note. What I still don’t understand is why will someone record such a moment.
Oh yes it is,in order to reduce the physiological effect it leaves mostly on our teenagers and upcoming adults.
Even if I don’t support recording private moments, revenge porn should be a punishable offense. It is highly disgusting.
Personally I will not record moments like that, they are too sacred for me and I’ll rather not risk it.
Regardless everyone has their own decisions to make, so yes revenge porn should be made illegal.
Posting people’s private moments without their permission is wrong
Some people live off this act, and it’s very terrible, it is high time they get punished for it by making it an illegal act.