HARGEISA (Halbeeg News) – The President of Somaliland state, Abdi Muse Bihi has signed into law the Rape and Sexual Offences Bill.
The Bill – signed at the presidential palace in Hargeisa town – criminalizes rape for the first time, and requiring prison terms for individuals convicted of the crime, a move praised by Human Rights groups.
The bill signed into law on Tuesday is the first of its kind in Somaliland criminalizing not only rape but all gender-based violations against women. It lays out a process to investigate the cases and prosecute perpetrators.
Under the law, an attempted rape conviction would carry a four to a seven-year jail sentence.
An individual who rapes a victim using force or threats would get 15 to 20 years. If the victim is under the age of 15, the perpetrator gets 20 to 25 years.
Attackers who cause bodily harm or infect their victim with HIV in addition to committing rape would receive life in prison.
An increasing number of reported rape cases are related to gang rape.
Gang rape was not mentioned in the existing penal code, but the new bill has a specific provision for gang rape which carries 20 to 25 years imprisonment.
Somaliland declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991 but is not internationally recognised as a country.
There is still no specific law against rape in Somalia, although it is punishable through a penal code that recognises some sexual offences
Discussion about this post