The women activists appearing before the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs
Women Activists have rejected a proposal in The Marriage Bill 2024, seeking to open up Civil Marriages to polygamy from the current form of monogamy, arguing that the Bill only provides for men to marry multiple partners while women aren’t provided with the same option.
The protest was led by Rose Wakikona, Deputy Executive Director, Women’s Probono Initiative while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development during the scrutiny of the Marriage Bill, 2024 that was tabled by Sarah Opendi (Tororo DRW).
“Also, when we read this Marriage Bill, we realize that polygamy and its interpretation is only polygyny, this law doesn’t allow for polyandry which is advancing equal rights for men and women. It only allows men to marry multiple spouses but it doesn’t allow women to marry multiple spouses,” said Wakikona.
The Women Probono Initiative defended the proposal arguing that Uganda has signed onto the convention of elimination of discrimination against women and on the Maputo Protocols, where both conventions, advance monogamy as the ideal form of marriage because monogamy advances equality and advances women’s rights which can’t be advanced in polygamy.
“Historically in Uganda, Civil Marriages have never been polygamous, they have always been monogamous. By sneaking polygamy into civil marriages, we feel that Uganda is creating a standard where the standards in marriage in Uganda is going to be polygamy and women will have no choice but always endure polygamous relationships and yet we are moving towards the human rights value-based system. So, we feel this is something that is going to violate women’s rights and this is something that shouldn’t be allowed,” explained Wakikona.
The Women activists also described as dangerous the proposal for compulsory pre-marital counselling for couples, arguing that in most cases the content of this counselling is where patriarchal norms that seek to oppress women in marriages are advanced.
“As people who have gone through pre-marital counselling, we believe that this is dangerous because the content of premarital counselling is where most of the patriarchal norms that oppress women are actually advanced. When you go into counselling, you are told submit to your husband and also safe sacrifice as a woman. They always emphasize this for women but downplay men’s accountability in a marriage,” said Wakikona.
The Women Activists further demanded for guidelines to be put in place detailing the content during this counselling if such a provision is adopted in order to emphasize the autonomy of women during these mandatory counselling sessions.
Wakikona added, “So until we get guidelines that emphasize the autonomy of women when it comes to marriage counselling. Our challenge is around what type of counselling that is going to be given. And if it is one that devalues women and places men on a pedestal or it is one that grants women dignity and amplifies their right, and unfortunately, it isn’t clear what type of counselling we are emphasizing. What we know is that counselling is done on religious and moral grounds and often these religious and cultural connotations often view women as less than men.”
MP Peggy Wako backed the Women Activists on the proposal to retain civil marriages as monogamous arguing, “Civil Marriages, I strongly agree with you that it should be monogamous, it has been monogamous, let it remain monogamous to protect our families.”
