Women Face Arrest For Wearing Miniskirts In Uganda In New Laws That Also Ban Beyonce From Television
Women in Uganda who go out wearing mini-skirts could face jail or a heavy fine under draconian new anti-pornography laws. The legislation would also see television dramas and films banned if it is passed by parliament.
The Anti-Pornography Bill 2011 proposes that those found guilty of abetting pornography be fined up to 10 million Ugandan shillings (£2,500) or jailed for up to 10 years, or both.
Simon Lokodo, Uganda’s ethics and integrity minister, who proposed the Bill, said: ‘Any attire which exposes intimate parts of the human body, especially areas that are of erotic function, are outlawed. Anything above the knee is outlawed. If a woman wears a miniskirt, we will arrest her.’
The bill, which is backed by Deputy Attorney General Fred Ruhindi, would also see many films and TV dramas banned from the airwaves and internet use monitored.
Mr Lokodo, a former Catholic priest defrocked by the Vatican for his involvement in politics, said that would mean that celebrities such as Beyoncé and Madonna would be banned from Ugandan television. ‘Television should not broadcast a sexy person,’ he said.
He added: ‘On the internet, we’re going to put a monitoring system so we know who has watched which website and we know who has watched pornographic material.’
Mr Lokodo said the Bill was needed to protect women and children against exploitation and curb increasing immorality. If passed, the proposed law would mark a return to the era of dictator Idi Amin, who banned short skirts.
Many Ugandans are against the idea and some have taken to Twitter to express their outrage using the hashtag #SaveMiniSkirt.
But on Thursday the draft law ran into problems when some members of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee voiced concerns about its implications for freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution.
MPs said the Bill’s definition of pornography was too broad and said it went against Uganda’s tradition of being a tolerant country. The Bill defines pornography as any cultural practice, behaviour or form of communication that depicts naked Bosom s, thighs, buttocks or genitalia.
The definition also includes anyone engaged in explicit segxwal activities, erotic behaviour intended to cause segxwal excitement and any indecent act or behaviour tending to corrupt morals.
But MPs criticised the lack of definition about what constituted ‘decent dressing’ and said the Bill could inhibit the segxwal behaviour of married couples. They asked the Government to stop curtailing freedoms, which they said could scare away tourists.
Mr Lokodo responded by saying that the legislation will not outlaw ‘any act or behaviour between spouses or couples performed in fulfilment of their conjugal rights and responsibilities, where such matters are strictly private.’
He said that one of the dangers of pornography is that it fuels segxwal crimes against women and children, including rape and child molestation. He suggested that women who were victims of segxwal violence were sometimes attacked because of their provocative dress.
‘One can wear what one wants, but please do not be provocative,’ he said. ‘People who are indecently dressed … do it provocatively and sometimes they are attacked. ‘An onlooker is moved to attack her and we want to avoid those areas. He is a criminal but he was also provoked and enticed.’ While some committee members said that pornography was already outlawed under Ugandan law, Mr Lokodo said that the existing laws only covered the publication of obscene material and that the issue of pornography transcended publication.
Mr Lokodo is no stranger to controversy. Last year he raided a workshop for gay activists and announced a ban on 38 pro-gay groups, saying they were undermining the national culture by promoting homosegxwality.
Posted: at 6-04-2013 09:39 PM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac
arsenal123 at 6-04-2013 09:46 PM (11 years ago) (m)
Posted: at 6-04-2013 09:46 PM (11 years ago) | Gistmaniac
dlimelite at 7-04-2013 01:37 AM (11 years ago) (f)
More Africans are being arrested and facing numerous years in jail for minor things than those who really should be in jail for committing serious crimes. Even in Nigeria ppl who stole laptop, cellphones, chicken etc.. will be given life in prison while serious criminals like murderers & ra.pists will be walking in the streets again by the next week to month. Very crazy & It really shouldn't be that serious. Ppl should have their rights of freedom to dress the way they wanna dress and be free to express themselves. As long as the person isn't totally naked or commiting a crime. At the end of the day people will be people and people are different individually. Unless this is some kinda Sharia law, Laws in a country should be made to help the country succeed & not made to control how ppl must be, act, dress, etc.. based on someone's beliefs and opinions. Becuz someone doesn't like trousers, skirts, and co. don't mean ppl in the country should be banned from wearing it. How does that help the country and its development. That's why African countries are still so backward. Focusing on the irrelevant things than the serious issues.
Posted: at 7-04-2013 01:37 AM (11 years ago) | Hero
dlimelite at 7-04-2013 02:25 AM (11 years ago) (f)
Quote from: nwokomanwafor on 6-04-2013 11:56 PM
I love that Mr Lokodo. God will strengthen you to sanitize your country from immoral activities.
The only thing that's immoral around here is "hypocricy" Not the dressing of a woman. Women of the Victorian period, where ankles were not even shown, were raped. Women of the Dark ages were raped and they were fully clothed. Women & girls of all ages, classes, culture, ability, segxwality, race and faith are raped. Rapists choose women based on their vulnerability not their physical appearance. A reason why most rapists go after young girls even as young as 5yrs old. There are also stories of rapists also targeting elderly women. Men just can't control themselves. Why should women take the blame of male lack of self-control? You don't like something, don't look, or go away. Of course, that is an old custom - "the woman tempted me and I did eat". "We focus on Adam eating the apple because Eve gave it to him. We don't focus on Adam's responsibility, on why he did not say no. (esp. when he knew it was wrong as God had told him even before he made Eve). Men have a responsibility to control themselves and stop using women as an excuse for their irresponsibility. Its crazy to say that what a woman wears determines a man’s mindset to rape or not. This is just an excuse that political figure heads take to make the women the criminal and men the victims of circumstance.
Posted: at 7-04-2013 02:25 AM (11 years ago) | Hero
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