An extremely serious sexual offence case has been shaking the Congolese capital for several days. A 30-year-old teacher, employed at a public high school in the Moungali district of Brazzaville, was filmed having sexual relations with one of her students, a boy aged just 13 who is in the equivalent of 8th grade (classe de 4?). The video, recorded by the teacher herself using her mobile phone, quickly spread across social media and instant messaging apps, triggering widespread public outrage.
The footage, lasting approximately three minutes, clearly shows the two individuals in an empty classroom after school hours. The teacher, identified by her first name Christelle, can be seen directing the scene and filming the act with her phone before the video escaped her control.
The leak reportedly stemmed from a romantic dispute: according to several consistent sources, the thirty-year-old woman sent the video to her partner in order to make him jealous. He then circulated it widely on WhatsApp and TikTok as an act of revenge. Within less than 48 hours, the file had been shared thousands of times across Congo and beyond its borders.
Read also: Zimbabwean Woman Based in US Faces Trial After Leaked Sextape with 16-Year-Old Boy Goes Viral
Immediate reaction from the authorities
Alerted on Friday 29 November, police arrested the teacher the following morning at her home. She was placed in custody at Brazzaville’s central police station and admitted the facts during her initial questioning.
The Public Prosecutor at the Brazzaville High Court has opened a judicial investigation for “sexual assault on a minor under 15 years of age”, “possession and distribution of child pornography” and “corruption of a minor”. The offences carry potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
The 13-year-old boy, shocked and traumatised, has been taken into care by child protection services. His family, deeply distressed, has filed a criminal complaint.
National outrage and calls for restraint
On Congolese social media, anger is running high. Many internet users are denouncing “a betrayal of the educational mission” and demanding exemplary punishment. Child-rights organisations, such as the Congolese Observatory for Children’s Rights (OCREJ), have urged the public to immediately stop sharing the video, which they describe as “child pornography” and where every view or forward constitutes a separate criminal offence.
“This video must be deleted everywhere it appears. Every person who watches or forwards it is participating in the re-victimisation of this child,” declared Yolande Okoko, president of the association.
The Ministry of Primary, Secondary and Literacy Education has announced the teacher’s immediate suspension and the launch of an internal administrative investigation. A psychological support unit has also been set up at the school concerned.
This case, one of the most serious of its kind ever made public in Congo-Brazzaville, has reignited debate about the protection of minors in schools and the dangers linked to the misuse of new technologies. It is a sad reminder of other similar scandals that have occurred in recent years across sub-Saharan Africa.
The investigation is ongoing. The teacher is expected to appear before an investigating judge in the coming days.
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