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They argued that some laws allowed child marriages of their daughters who are 16 years. This makes these laws contradict the constitution that demands that one has to be 18 or above to get married.
These laws include Section 11 (a) of the Customary Marriage Act, 1973, the Marriage and Divorce of Mohammedans Act, 1906 and the Hindu Marriage and Divorce Act, 1961.
Yesterday, five justices of the court sided with the petitioners’ arguments. They declared that parents and guardians marrying off their daughters under the aforementioned laws do so unconstitutionally.
“I would declare that Section 11 (a) of the Customary Marriage; Section 5 (1) (a) of the Marriage and Divorce of Mohammedans Act, to the extent that it permits registration of marriages involving persons below the age of 18 years and Sections 2 (1) c and d and 3 of the Hindu Marriage and Divorce are in contravention with Article 31 (1) of the Constitution because they permit girls between the age of 16 and 17 to marry, yet the highlighted constitutional provision permits marriage of only girls aged 18 years or older,” ruled Justice Elizabeth Musoke who wrote the lead decision.
Other justices on the case are Fredrick Egonda Ntende, Christopher Madrama, Monica Mugenyi and Christopher Gashirabake.
Justice Musoke analysis stated that the laws in question regulated marriages by prescribing the minimum age for marriage. She also said one law said the marriage shall be void if the girl has not attained 16 years and the boy 18 years.
“We are happy with the decision of the court. Most things had been taken as normal. Unfortunately, even the law has been empowering people to marry girls who are below the age of consent. Let’s now fight child marriages to ensure that no girl is married off without her consent and while under 18 years,” Mr Aboneka, one of the petitioners reacted to the ruling.
Check Also;
- Laws Against Child Rights Violators Should Be Enforced – UCRNN
- Doreen Nyanjura Demands For Cohabiting To Be Recognized As Legal Marriage
- Uganda Is Committed To Ending Child Marriages, Teenage Pregnancy; Museveni
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![[dropcap]A[/dropcap] section of women in Bugongo parish and Nawangaiza parish in Nawandala Sub County, Iganga District have decried the near-impossible terms set for them to access GROW funds. They have now petitioned their woman member of parliament for Iganga Hon. Kauma Sauda Alibaawo to ask the government for revised terms and conditions. This is to enable them to benefit from the program. The disgruntled women accuse the implementers of the program of charging the money. They are also asking for their land titles and land agreements. They said that such properties are governed by their husbands. These, therefore want the government through their woman MP to intervene and revise the requirements for one to benefit. The women were on Wednesday at Namabwere primary school in Nawandala Sub County. They had gathered in their respective groups to receive over 300 chickens from Hon Alibaawo in her campaign to improve the livelihood of women in Iganga district. Each group was given 50 chicken as start-up capital in their journey to prosperity. Read what some leaders said; Ms Naigambi Lydia from Nawandala Trading Centre says, “They solicited money from us through opening bank accounts and depositing Shs80,000. They also asked for land titles and land agreements from us yet we don’t have such things. I was informed that I needed to have a business with a capital of Shs4m yet my capital was very small.” The chairperson Kisoboka Saving Group in Nawandala Ms. Nakagolo Faith said they were not able to join the program. This is given the many conditions attached. She also asked their woman MP to raise their concerns to the relevant offices. The MP condemned the mode of implementation of the program. She cited that it has turned to benefit the well-off class of women other than the intended group. She further asked the government to intervene saying the current strings attached to the programme are very tight to accommodate a common woman. GROW project is a Government of Uganda initiative that arose out of the need to respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs. This is especially those who want to grow their businesses, sustain their self-employment and create more jobs. Check Also; Iganga District NRM Leaders Urge Museveni To Fulfill Election Promises Of 2021 International Women's Day: Celebrating Progress Towards Equality](https://i0.wp.com/newslexpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Iganga-women-decry-tough-terms-to-access-GROW-funds-e1731738339732.jpg?resize=300%2C160&ssl=1)
