Sunday August 9, 2020
NAIROBI (HOL) - The International Community in Somalia has roundly condemned attempts to legalise child marriages in the country after it emerged a section on MPs had sneaked in a new Bill different from the one tabled by the cabinet.
The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and a number of embassies have sharply reacted after former security minister and MP Mohamed Abdirizak blew the whistle Friday.
“The UN and other partners in Somalia have expressed concern to Parliament Speaker Mursal about attempts to table a deeply-flawed new bill that allows child marriage and contravenes relevant international conventions,” UNSOM said in a tweet
“The UN urges Cabinet to re-introduce the original Sexual Offences Bill.”
The UNFPA said it ‘does not support any bill with potentials to violate the rights of women and girls and expose them to further violence and deprivation nor does it support a bill that deviates from norms and standards of international human rights.’
UNFPA country representative Anders Thomsen called on parliament to expedite the passage of the Sexual Offenses Bill introduced by the cabinet.
“We are calling for the immediate passage into law of the Sexual Offences Bill, which has been pending adoption by the Parliament,” said Thomsen.
“The law will be vital in preventing and criminalizing all sexual offences. UNFPA Somalia calls for the strengthening of protection systems as women and girls continue to be at high risk of experiencing gender-based violence.”
Abdirizak Mohamed, MP and former security minister raised the red flag Friday warning the House Human Rights Committee had approved a bill different from the one tabled by the cabinet which sought to legalise child marriage contrary to the cabinet version which banned child marriages and set the age of adulthood at 18.
But the committee chairperson Hawa Abdi has distanced herself and committee from the Bill noting ‘it was neither initiated nor finalized by our committee’.