John Sentamu, a human rights institute in the Faculty of Law at Uganda Christian University (UCU) has drafted the Prevention of Acid attacks Bill that is yet to be presented before parliament.
The bill once passed will protect people in Uganda against acid attacks. It will regulate the importation, purchase, sale and distribution of acid. It also proposes the establishment of an authority to regulate the retail of acid.
An acid attack should not, however, be confused with gastric acids in the stomach, these acids have unimaginable consequences, distortions of the faces of its victims, and the pain they undergo is so intense.
The institute has partnered with Non-Government Organisations, US based RISE, Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights at the University of Cincinnati and Uganda’s End Acid Violence (EAV)that are helping in gathering statistics of acid attacks in Uganda.
The NGOs last week met some of the victims in Kampala and also took a trip to Kayunga District to compile documentation about them. The information will then be sent to a doctor in Kenya that will conduct reconstructive surgeries on them.
Madina one of the victims of acid attack started a business to sell foodstuffs, but because of her condition, customers shun her produce and never want any of it.
Many Ugandans have not been aware of the existence of these attacks until an incident in 2006 where the story of Aisha Nabukeera became a national concern.
These documentations will be published to create awareness of acid attacks. Some of the victims have had attacks that date to the early 90’s.
The position of the law
The law has been rather general in its nature with attacks being categorised as battery in the Penal Code Act. Their nature, however, needed a specific law. The parliament passed the Toxic Chemical Prohibition Control Act in 2015. This law has not done enough about the plight of the victims that continues to deteriorate.
It is against this background that draftsmen at UCU came together and compiled the clauses for this bill. It is now in the research stage.
“We intend that the bill is tabled before parliament in August this year” says Agaba Arnold, a lecturer of law at UCU.
Students of UCU interning with the same institute have been charged with the responsibility of conducting the necessary research for the bill.
Ugandan law does not act retrospectively. However, once this bill is passed, there will be resolutions for even victims that were affected before its passing.
“This law has within it some unique solutions,” Agaba says. Among these solutions include settlements between the victims and the attackers.
There will also be a loan scheme established under the faculty of business that will be accessible to the victims at a low-interest rate for their treatment, as well as funding for their businesses.
The bill also has tougher solutions like the attacker being required to pay hospital bills for their victims.
Once tabled and passed into law, the bill will be a more positive step towards activism against acid attacks in Uganda.
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