WUNRN
Direct Link to Full 28-Page 2014 Report:
http://www.equalitynow.org/sites/default/files/Equality_Now_Publication_Legal_Reform_in_Sudan_EN.pdf
JURISPRUDENCE ON SEXUAL OFFENCES & PROPOSALS TO CLOSE
THE GAPS FOR THE PROSECUTION OF RAPE IN SUDAN
Call to Reform Laws that Deny Victims of Sexual Violence Access to Justice under the Law
Equality Now - http://www.equalitynow.org/member_news_april_2015
Huge Victory for Rape Survivors in Sudan
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UN Photo/Albert González Farran |
Last year, a 19-year-old
pregnant woman who, after being gang raped in the Sudan, was
arrested along with her attackers and charged with “offending public morality”
and committing “indecent acts,” and was threatened with adultery charges and
deportation. Thousands of you joined our campaign for justice and sent nearly
15,000 letters to Sudanese officials calling on them to support victims of
sexual violence instead of criminalizing them.
SUCCESS! We’ve learned that the law being used (Article 149) to
discriminate against rape victims was amended and signed by the President so
that survivors will no longer be re-victimized with punishments for adultery or
“immoral acts.” And thanks to the combined efforts of the campaign and
supporters in Sudan, the government appears to have dropped the case against
the young woman; she has attained legal immigration status and is raising a
healthy son who was born in June of 2014.
Since 2012, Equality Now has been working with partners in
Sudan and through the SOAWR
Coalition to amend the discriminatory provisions of the 1991 Sudanese Criminal
Code, which were being used to punish women and girls for crimes committed
against them, and discouraging many survivors from reporting cases of rape.
Specifically, Article 149 of the Criminal Code now includes a rape definition
that meets international standards and Article 151 of the Criminal Act was
amended to include a new element criminalizing sexual harassment. In this case,
our experience and knowledge from a similar victory on rape and public order
laws in Pakistan — which took us 20 years to achieve — was instrumental in
helping Sudanese groups push for change.
To learn more about the work to reform legislation on rape and sexual violence
in Sudan, read our report produced in conjunction with Sudanese women’s
rights crusader, Dr. Muna Eltayeb M. Eltayeb, and published thanks to the
generous support of NEPAD Spanish Fund for African Women’s Empowerment.