The renewed calls advance within the wake of alarming cases of gender-primarily primarily based entirely violence, including the tragic taking pictures of businessman Henry Katanga and the contemporary death of former Olympian Rebecca Chepetgei, who changed into attacked by her boyfriend in Kenya.
Individuals of Parliament hold reignited discussions on the long-shelved Marriage and Divorce Bill, which changed into glorious debated in 2017.
The renewed calls advance within the wake of alarming cases of gender-primarily primarily based entirely violence, including the tragic taking pictures of businessman Henry Katanga and the contemporary death of former Olympian Rebecca Chepetgei, who changed into attacked by her boyfriend in Kenya.
Within the route of a plenary session chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, Laura Kanushu, the MP representing Folk with Disabilities (PWD), urged lawmakers to revisit the invoice.
She highlighted the urgent want to modernize Uganda’s marriage felony pointers, noting that the present Marriage Act of 1904 is out of date and insufficient in addressing up to date factors.
“We cannot continue to rely on a law from 1904. Every time the bill comes to Parliament, it gets shelved, but now both men and women seem to agree that gender-based violence is a real and growing problem,” Ms Kanushu said.
“Domestic violence is leading to loss of life, and it’s time we bring back the bill for debate and make necessary amendments.”
The Marriage and Divorce Bill, first launched in 2009, is a crucial legislative measure aimed at consolidating all marriage-connected felony pointers, moreover the Marriage of Mohammedans Act.
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It seeks to uphold constitutional ensures pertaining to marriage, combine global easiest practices, and address factors equivalent to property rights, consortium, and marital disputes.
In 2016, efforts to method the invoice had been revived, with a strategic specialise in addressing public resistance.
A workshop held to recommend for the invoice’s swift passage resulted in a name to rebrand it as the Marriage Bill to lead clear of contentious factors cherish cohabitation, which hold been situation aside for additional look.
This rebranding aimed to advise the invoice in a more constructive light and to streamline the legislative process by addressing stakeholders’ concerns.
Despite the redrafting of the invoice as the Marriage Bill, 2017, stakeholders urged against tabling it, fearing it might maybe perhaps hinder the legislative process.
As a change, they truly handy submitting amendment proposals to the traditional 2009 invoice.
These proposals had been submitted to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and the Attorney Ordinary in 2018 for additional evaluation.
With gender-primarily primarily based entirely violence on the upward thrust, many lawmakers yell the Marriage and Divorce Bill is most well-known for regulating societal factors connected to marriage breakdowns and their wider impact on governance and social stability.
They argue that a most modern correct framework is mandatory to address the rising mission of domestic violence and protect both men and girls from the devastating penalties of unchecked marital disputes.
The flee for the invoice’s revival underscores the urgent want for legislative reform in Uganda’s marriage felony pointers, with lawmakers urging swift action to safeguard the lives and rights of the nation’s voters.
