Way back Ugandans have been lured to think that the male gender can never be subject to sexual harassment or even sexual violence. Uganda is a country where people are regrouped into tribes and communities backed by their by heir various beliefs, most of these have it placed in that the man in a home is the head and therefore decides what happens in the home however this has changed over time and with it many tings have changed.
Social media currently is the basis of all kind of activism and filled with many feminist who are always trying to prove a point in regard to the way the female gendeeer is treated. However all these have failecd on one thing, where there is always an incident where a man has been subject to what may be called sexual hasshment of which it as been imputed by a female they all remain silent and they fail to condemn such an act. What does this mean? I think it means that most of these so called ‘feminits’ aren’t activists to for women’s rights or even speaking out fr their justice but rather individuls using such incidents as a stepping stone to heir own previllege.
Lets start with the incident that rolled all media platforms where some ‘girls’ were accusing once city tycoon Brian Kirumira alias ‘Brain White’ that he sexually harrased them on various occassions but just like me many don’t know how that scandal came to an end. Many feminists rose up and claimed to be fightin g for the rights of these girls even when the facts the were providing were inconsistent. Not even a week later, one young man whose names i didnt capture stormed twitter with a heartbreaking story of how some girl also a studnt of ‘Mubs’ had drugged him up and went ahead to do with him everything she wished to do as the young man was laying down unconsious. The story was a sorrowfukl one and it surely went viral to the various media platforms. One may be wondering where the so called ‘feminists’ were to condemn such an act, whether the facts the young man was providing were inconsistent shoudn’t be an excuse becau8se so werer the facts in the first incident.
The feminists aside, the most worrying part is that the laws in our country do not even habve such incidences covered meaning the culprits will surely run aware free like nothing did happen. Its also had for men to convice the public tjhat such incidences can happen to them since its clear in uch matters the public will be the court as no courts will entertain matters not coverred under the law. For the femles, its so easier for tem to plead for mercy and for the public to believe they cannot commit such acts to men who arwe taken to be stronger.
Sect. 123 of the Penal Code Act of Uganda puts it clear that for the offence of rape to rape to stand there must have been a penetration of the victim by the offender without the victim’s consent. It i therefore clear that its only a woman who can be penetrated as the penetration provided for is one where the penetration has been made into the sexual organ which isn’t possible for a man. This therefre mean that a man cannot be rapped as per the laws in uganda.
The only way where one can claim safely a case on the sidee of the male vistim is through Sect. 129 of the Penal Code which provides for defilement and this surely catters for male victims who ar referrred to as children in the ugandan law henc the adult males remain not covered. A few months back in Masindi, a wman was caught red anded commitin ga sexual act with a very young boy. After her arrest,a number of parents approximately six reported complaints of sexul harrashment of their childeren by the same woman. This is therefore the level at which the male ender is getting subject to harrashment under the disguise the female gender is a weak one and motherly which cannot commit such acts.
The quetion to many is how does such an act happen? This is a question that i can’t stand to answer to its entity because am not a victim in any way hence the right person to answer such a questopn would be a victim to sexual harrashment where the offender ha been a female.
Such actions will still happen and be on the rise not until this loophole in the law ha been covered such that the male gender may also be counted safe under such conditions.
Writer:
Joel Peter Namugera
Legal Scholar
THE LEGAL NOTCH 