Omar Faruk Osman, the Secretary General of National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has called the House of Representatives a “national disgrace” for supporting the tabling of a highly controversial sexual bill.
In a message posted on his official Twitter handle, Osman said the Sexual Intercourse Bill is not only “dangerous” but also “non-progressive.” He blasted the Lower House for allowing such a bill to be presented before its members.
The tabling of the bill has elicited strong sentiments from a cross-section of leaders.
Members of the international community have also voiced their concerns. The UN in Somalia has expressed its displeasure at the move to Speaker Mohamed Mursal of the Lower House and said the bill goes against all international conventions to which Somalia is a signatory.
Osman has instead asked legislators and members of the public to support the Sexual Offences Bill (SOB), as it seeks to address most of the crimes against women and children unlike the controversial bill, which seeks, among other issues, to allow child marriage.