Gays Aren’t the Only Ones in Danger in Uganda Thanks to Draconian Law
Ugandan women have said they're being violently stripped on their country's streets.
A Ugandan woman at the entrance to her home. Bread for the World (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Ugandan women have said they’re being violently stripped on their country’s streets due to a new anti-pornography measure that outlaws “pornography…suggestive music videos and ‘indecent’ clothing.” The new law has given some the pretext to assault women simply for wearing “short skirts,” and while the police have condemned the harassment, Ugandan women are demanding that more be done to protect their bodies and their rights.
Global Post via Salon:
Signed into law on Feb. 19, the bill bans pornography and outlaws suggestive music videos and “indecent” clothing.
It was signed days before an anti-gay bill that allows homosexuals to be jailed for life.
Dubbed the “miniskirt ban” by Uganda’s media, the anti-pornography law came under fire from protesters Wednesday who claim it’s encouraging violence against women.
Police officers in riot gear watched as more than 200 women protested in Kampala, carrying signs that read “my body my business” and “thou shalt not touch my miniskirt.”
—Posted by Natasha Hakimi
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