What reasons did they give for opposing the proposed law?
NN: The opposition to the Bill was organized. All this was coming at a time when in Uganda, the leading opposition figure Kizza Besigye was being prosecuted for rape, while in South Africa, former Deputy President Jacob Zuma was also being tried for rape. These cases were perceived by many as political persecution, and several of our MPs claimed that the law we were proposing would encourage women to make false rape allegations in order to punish men. There were also the deep-seated cultural gender biases that we often face. There is always strong opposition to proposals to enhance the rights and protection of women through legislation. This is the first piece of ‘woman-friendly’ legislation that has actually been passed by Parliament. Proposals to amend the Marriage Act, the reintroduction of the Affiliation Act that addressed child support for children born out of wedlock and so on, have been thrown out. Although is not only women that suffer sexual violations, the Sexual Offences Bi
