THE SECRETARY
GENERAL
NATIONAL COUNCIL
FOR CHILDREN
P.O BOX 21456
KAMPALA - UGANDA
Dear Sir,
RE: DECLARATION ON THE MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE BILL IN
REFERENCE TO CHILDREN
Knowing the mandate of
National Council for Children and having worked closely together, Bright Doves
of St. Francis through your office to the government wishes to pronounce itself
on the Marriage and Divorce Bill.
Bright Doves of St. Francis
appreciates the spirit in which the bill is brought as to protect the
vulnerable who are engaged in relationships and marriage. But we are not
comfortable with the biasness of the language chose “THE MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE ACT,
2009. An act to reform and consolidate the law relating to civil, Christian,
Hindu, Bahai and customary marriages; to provide for the types of recognized
marriages, marital rights and duties; recognition of cohabitation in relation
to property rights; separation and divorce, and the consequences of separation
and divorce; and for related matters.”
Our Concerns:
As much as we do not condone cohabiting, we
do recognize the children that come as a result of this relationship. There are
cases of children having parents who subscribe to one faith as in the act yet
another subscribing to the moslem faith, yet In part 1, the Preliminary, under
Application paragraph(2) This Act does not bar parties who profess the Muslim
faith from proceeding under it.
The bill does not
elaborate on how children should be handled.
Panic, we feel this bill is being
rushed, the populace is not fully sensitized about it and those who are trying
to; are biased in terms of faith, political affiliation and personal
experiences rather than being objective.
Penalty, the penalty of 5 years in prison when
convicted deprives a child of an interaction with the parent in its
development. It encourages single parenthood and drives the marriage
relationship to a point of no return as there cannot be room for dialoguing
when one party is in prison.
We therefore recommend this bill be revised, to
include concerns of different stakeholders and a vigorous sensitization
programme be effected if the bill is to be for the people.
Yours in service,
KUGONZA K NICHOLAS
Programmes Coordinator
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