Child rights activists are putting pressure on parliament to pass the Sexual Offences Bill, which will help to explicitly deal with cases of child marriages. The bill has been stuck on the shelves of Parliament since 2016 when it was first introduced. Civil society organizations that advocate for girls’ rights have expressed concern about the increasing number of child marriages and teenage pregnancies in the country. Recent statistics show that 34% of ever-married Ugandans were married before the legal age of 18 years.
The Bill has remained stuck on the shelves of Parliament since 2016 when it was first introduced in Parliament. Activists believe it’s the panacea to escalating cases of child marriages.
Civil Society Organizations that advocate for the rights of girls have come out to decry the unabated upsurge of cases of child marriages and teenage Pregnancies in the country with recent statistics indicating that 34% of ever-married Ugandans married before the legal age of 18 years.
In this regard, activists have made an outcry to parents to step up and protect children who are back from school for long holidays. They advised parents to discourage their children from sleeping with friends and relatives.
Addressing the press in Kampala, activists have called on the government to establish more shelters where victims of child marriages can run for rescue and also demand a proper tracking system for the victims of Victims.
According to the police crime report of 2022, a total of 14,693 Sex related cases were reported representing 6.3% of other overall registered crimes recorded that year. Now activists have put Parliament to task to expedite the enactment of the sexual offenses bill to facilitate explicit handling of cases.
The bill was first introduced in 2016 by the then Kumi district woman MP Monica Amoding, seeking to consolidate laws relating to sexual offenses and provide procedural and evidential requirements during the trial of sexual cases. Activists claim the Penal Code Act has gaps that don’t provide for a separate offense on child marriages.
The Sexual Offences Bill was passed by the 10th parliament in 2021 but it was not assented to by the President, who returned it to parliament.
