Home Business Crime Are you a rapist? 20-year jail term awaits you
Crime

Are you a rapist? 20-year jail term awaits you

Share
Share

Somaliland Parliament has passed a law recommending 20 years in jail for rapists, the first law against rape in a drive to combat gender violence, a senior official said.
The bill, which passed parliament’s upper house, also criminalises other forms of gender violence
such as forced marriage, trafficking for sexual slavery and sexual harassment.
Ayan Mahamoud, Somaliland’s representative in Britain, said the draft law had been awaiting parliamentary approval
for years – and that President Musa Abdi’s government, which was elected in November, saw curbing sex
crimes as a priority.
“This really is a historic law for Somaliland. For the first time, potential rapists will be scared that they will be punished and end up in jail for years,” Mahamoud told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from London.

“It also means that survivors can get at last seek redressal and have access to justice, instead of being forced to marry their rapists to save the so-called family honour.”
The bill was passed by the lower house in January.
Mahamoud said it was expected to be signed into law by Abdi in the coming weeks.
Until now rape was not defined as a crime in Somaliland, a self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa.
That meant perpetrators faced no penalty. Victims’ families were instead paid off or the victim was forced to marryher rapist to avoid public shame.
Women’s groups said they were encouraged that parliament’s more conservative upper house, known as the House ofElders, had approved the bill with 35 out of 50 votes in favour.
“This bill provides both procedural provisions to support managing sexual offences and substantive provisions on the punishments of the offences,” said a statement from Nagaad, a network of 46 women’s organisations in Somaliland.
However they stressed that the government would need to ensure people knew about the law, and that adequateresources be provided to ensure law enforcement agencies and the judiciary implemented and enforced itSomaliland, which has a population of about four million, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 followinga bloody civil war, but is not internationally recognised as a country.
Somalia does not have legislation against sexual violence.

Share

Businesstoday Magazine

Businesstoday Conference/Awards

Related Articles

Yobe: Court Accuses Police Of Brutality, Disruption Of Justice

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in Potiskum, Yobe State have been...

Police Nab 130 Foreign Nationals, Nigerians For Cybercrimes, Hacking

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 130 suspects comprising 113 foreign nationals...

Impersonation: VeryDarkMan To Appear In Court Today

Martins Otse, aka VryDarkMan  on Police Uniform    Social critic and  influencer...

Police Arrest 1246 Suspects, Recovers 3172 Ammunition In One month

The Nigeria Police Force said it has arrested of 371 armed robbery...