Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has called upon Members of Parliament to consider re-table the pending bills related to protection of children and women.

The pending bills include the Sexual Offences bill and Marriage and Divorce bill.

Kadaga was addressing a dialogue on ending gender based violence and HIV/Aids organized by the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association at imperial Royale in Kampala.

She expressed concern over the high rates of sexual defilement in schools perpetuated by teachers which violates children’s rights.

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She also decried incest cases rise among fathers who are defiling their daughters.

Kadaga said that it’s high time to name and shame the sexual offenses culprits in public.

The Speaker also accused mothers of contributing to the defiling of the girl child by sending them to markets at late hours as well as walking them long distances which culminates into defilement.

The Chairperson of the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association Monica Amoding said that if the Sexual offence Bill is enacted into law, it will end sexual offences against girls and women.

The executive Director Uganda Network on Law and Ethics (UGANET), Helen Kiconco called upon   MPs to legislate on Laws that will help to defend the plight of women.

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The Marriage and Divorce bill seeks to prohibit widow inheritance, grants certain rights to cohabiting couples and equalizes prejudiced divorce provisions which granted absolute rights to men. It was designed in part, to improve women’s rights in marriages and to reform and consolidate the laws relating to marriage, separation and divorce.

Tabled as the Domestic Relations Bill, in 2003, the draft was rejected by the Muslim community opposed to the provisions banning polygamy. After being rejected by Parliament in 2006, the bill was split into a Muslim Personal Law Bill, which covers Muslim marriages, and the Marriage and Divorce Bill for the other religious denominations.

The drafts were however shelved following wide condemnation from a section of religious leaders and members of the public arguing that the proposals within were alien to the African culture.

Some of the controversial proposals include among others, those that pertain to bride price, a customary practice requiring payment of consideration by a groom to his wife’s family. The current Marriage and Divorce Bill states that bride price cannot be treated as a prerequisite for marriage, and makes criminal the act of demanding repayment of bride price.

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Addressing a news conference at Parliament on Monday, the UWOPA executive members along with members from civil society comprising of UWOPA, Action for Women in Development (ACFODE), Centre for Women in Governance (CEWIGO), Women Democracy Network (WDN-U) and Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE).

The members said they plan to ask the Speaker of Parliament,Rebecca Kadaga to schedule the debate on the order paper so that it can be handled once and for all.

Rita Aciro, the UWONET Chairperson, said Parliament needs to urgently pass the sexual offences bill to curb the increasing sexual related cases and also conclude the passing of the remaining 155 clauses of the Marriage and divorce bill.

The Marriage and divorce bill was tabled in the last Parliament by Gen Kahinda Otafiire but was later halted to be passed citing controversies in 155 clauses.

Women rights activists also want the local council authority to be well equipped in dealing with sex related crimes.

Amoding the chairperson of the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association.

The chairperson of the UWOPA who is also Woman MP for Kumi district, Monicah Amoding, said that the court is demanding for marriage and divorce bill to be passed since many cases that fall under this law need to be handled.

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