Increasing sex crimes in Uganda scare parliamentarians

Members of Parliament have expressed concerned over the increasing sex crimes in Uganda thus calling for punitive measures against offenders.

The MPs say that with the Sexual Offences Bill, stringent measures will be put in place to protect persons against the vice.

The Bill moved by Kumi Woman MP Monicah Amoding in 2015 was forwarded to the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and it proposes several measures to check on among others, sexual harassment in schools by guardians or teachers.

The object of the bill is to consolidate laws relating to sexual offences and provide procedural and evidential requirements during trial of sexual offences.

“There are a series of bills that we have but are in bits and pieces in different law books. This bill will bring all these together,” said Amoding.

She said this while moving the bill for second reading, during on Wednesday, 13 February 2019.

MPs want the bill to specify compensation for victims of sex crimes especially children and youth who unfortunately get subjected to defilement or rape.

“Many cases that go to court fail because of the nature of evidence required by the criminal justice system,” said Erute South MP Jackson Odur , adding that “the questions asked to children at police stations can traumatize them”.
MPs also noted that the bill ought to provide punitive measures for sexual harassment at the workplace, noting that this had affected the efficient growth of many young men and women who often keep silent as victims.

“Many young people have suffered from sexual harassment at their places of work because there is no law that clearly defines sexual harassment. This has dealt a blow to many careers of aspiring women and men,” said Mbarara Woman MP Rosette Kajungu.