Women activists happy with the scrapping of the anti-pornography law

By Ritah Kemigisa

Women rights activists have welcomed the constitutional court decision which has quashed the anti-pornography act, 2014.

Five judges led by Frederick Egonda Ntende have unanimously annulled four sections of the act on grounds of being unconstitutional.

The judges ruled that the law does not provide what amounts to indecent show.

They also declared unconstitutional section 11 of the act which was giving powers to the Anti-pornography committee to enforce and monitor compliance of the law.

Now speaking to KFM, Tina Musuuya, the executive director Center for Domestic violence and prevention who was part of the petitioners against the law in 2014 says the law was unfair and discriminatory from the onset.

She is now asking the government to make laws that protect all people, especially the marginalized groups.

“Even the anti-pornography committee was always looking out for victims instead of the perpetrators. A case in point was when someone’s relationship goes bad and a woman’s nudes are exposed, they would go for the victim instead of the perpetrator who has breached their privacy,” said Musuuya.

The law was criminalizing any activity deemed pornographic, from wearing short skirts to writing risque songs, and led to increased public harassment of women who wore clothing considered too revealing.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna