KAMPALA – Members of Parliament under the Parliamentary Women’s Association (UWOPA) have asked Ugandans to push their representatives in Parliament to support the Sexual Offences Bill 2019 that is before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee for scrutiny before lawmakers take the final decision on the bill.
Following its earlier withdrawal to harmonise with other stakeholders, Monica Amoding (Kumi Woman) re-introduced the Sexual Offences Bill 2019 with the aim of enacting a specific law on sexual offences for the effectual prevention of sexual violence, to enhance punishment for sexual offenders.
The Bill according to Amoding also seeks to provide for the protection of victims during sexual offences trials, provide for extraterritorial application of the law, repeal some provisions of the Penal Code Act.
While interfacing with traders in Nakawa market during the last day of 16 days of activism against Gender-based violence and popularizing the Sexual Offences Bill 2019 Amoding called on Ugandans to back the law saying it will be critical at curtailing the rampant sexual offences meted on many Ugandans.
She explained, “We are seeking to introduce the sexual offenders register for all those convicted of sexual offences so that Ugandans are aware of their crimes and can take a decision on whether to employ them or not. We have had scenarios where teachers molest students and are simply transferred to other schools and commit the same vice. This Bill will help deal with such scenarios.”
Section 28 and 29 of the Sexual Offences Bill provides for the establishment of a sex offenders’ register, where a person convicted of sexual offences will have their particulars captured in the register with court gave ten days after judgment to forward and certified copy of the judgment to the National Identification Registration.
Happy Nasasira, Nakawa II Lord councilor at KCCA welcomed the development saying the female traders at Nakawa market have on a number of occasions suffered at the hands of male police officers who demand for sex in exchange of having their case recorded.
