A few weeks ago, the Anti Pornography bill was passed to become a law in The Republic of Uganda. This law defines pornography as “any representation, through publication, exhibition, cinematography, indecent show, information technology or by whatever means, of a person engaged in real or stimulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a person for primarily sexual excitement.” The reason for the creation of this law was because the Members of Parliament, particularly the Minister for Ethics, felt that it was because of pornography that sexual offences like rape, child molestation, and incest were taking place.
Now, according to the law, women are prohibited from wearing short skirts/shorts/ dresses and revealing tops because they “irritate the mind and excite other people especially of the opposite sex”, said the ethics minister. This irritation of the mind and excitement of people especially of the opposite sex should not be the problem of the woman who ought to have the freedom to dress as she pleases. This irritation and excitement of the mind should be dealt with by those that get irritated and excited. In making this a law, some things really were not considered such as tribes where women literary move naked, breast feeding mothers who pull out their breasts everyday, educative plays in theatres or shows on TVs? This law actually endangers women as those with power take law in their hands to undress women and people’s daughters all in the name of the law. More pressing issues such as ways to reduce poverty levels and raise the standard of living of each Ugandan should be what these people in power are focusing on rather than creating laws that justify men’s "irritations" to commit sexual offences.
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