SODV BILL FINALLY PASSED

LOBAMBA – It is victory for women as the SODV Bill has finally been passed in Senate. SODV is an acronym for Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence. Senators felt strongly about the Bill which was passed with amendments.
relieved

Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse Communications Officer Slindelo Nkosi said they were overwhelmed, excited and relieved that justice had finally come for all victims and survivors of abuse.
Nkosi said they had been calling for this Bill for close to 10 years now and they trusted that final stages would see the light for it to become a national law.
She said EmaSwati would be completely protected from these escalating heinous crimes destroying the nation.

She said although lifelong trauma had already been endured by survivors of abuse in some cases due to the lack of proper laws, they appreciated and acknowledged legislators for making the Bill one of their priorities.

continuously

“We acknowledge the bilateral meetings we continuously had with both parliamentarians and senators to make sure that this Bill saw the light of day,” Nkosi said.
She said this was proof of the commitment in ensuring that cases of gender-based violence were curbed in the country.

Woman & Law in Southern Africa Director Xolani Hlatshwako said they were grateful for the passing of the Bill.
Hlatshwako said the SODV Bill had been passed before by both Houses but did not go through the final stages, hence it was returned to Parliament.

efforts

“That it has been passed in the two Houses is great news and we thank all the efforts done by the Members of Parliament and senators to ensure that the pieces of legislation are passed into law,” said Hlatshwako.
She said this had come at the right time when the country was experiencing tremendous increase of cases of violence towards women and children.
Senator Sibusiso Shongwe, who was in the Senate Committee working on the Bill, gave a thumbs up to his colleagues for doing a great job on the Bill, which they worked on for two and a half months.

He justified the period, adding that senators had to thoroughly look into the Bill especially the contentious clauses before it could be passed.
Senator Shongwe commended the Bill, adding that he was passionate about it.
He said they worked hard in ensuring that it aligned with the national Constitution, save for Section 151 clause on marital rape which some senators felt strongly about.

applied

Shongwe said the Bill was very thick with over 180 clauses but they applied themselves as they went through all of them.  
According to Shongwe, there were contentious clauses including abduction, stalking and marital rape, which were amended. “We had to remove customary practices in some of the clauses,” he said.
He said with the stalking clause, reasonable courting in a respectful manner was acceptable.

changed

However, he said they were mindful of the fact that times had changed and women could also propose.
However, he said he found it offensive for women to hit on him. The Senator said they also felt it was necessary to apply stiffer sentences on rape, especially if the victim was below 10 years.
He advised the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Paul Dlamini, about the importance of educating the nation before the legislation was implemented. 

This, he said was essential because people needed to know what was expected of them and the criminal aspects so they could not find themselves getting arrested. 

alarming

Senator Lindiwe Ngwenya lamented on the gender-based violence (GBV) cases which have reached an alarming rate.
Ngwenya said this was evident in the media which reported on the cases on a daily basis.
She praised senators for passing the SODV Bill. Senator Themba Gina echoed Senator Ngwenya adding that even tradition was against the abuse of women.

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