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LAW welcomes the passage of the sexual offences bill by the Somaliland House of Elders calling it 'an essential step in providing justice for victims of sexual violence'

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Somalia
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LAW
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LAW's Executive Director Antonia Mulvey has praised the Somaliland House of Elders, the autonomous region's Upper House of Parliament, on their passage of the sexual offences bill, which will criminalise rape in Somaliland for the first time. "This new law represents an essential step in providing justice for victims of sexual violence in Somaliland." The bill was passed by the lower house in January this year, and now awaits assent before taking effect.

In 2015, LAW provided technical assistance by drafting the Sexual Offences Bills for the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Somaliland, and later assisted with the consultation processes that were conducted on the draft bill.

"Once the sexual offences legislation takes effect, for the first time, rape will be classified as and treated as a crime. There will be clear duties placed upon police and others involved in the criminal justice system to take action in response to complaints of sexual violence, including as to the investigation and prosecution of offences", said Antonia Mulvey. "Victims will no longer be forced to marry those accused of perpetrating such crimes against them , and other avenues for justice, including reparations, will be open to victims."

"Once the legislation takes effect, it will be important for health and criminal justice agencies to be properly resourced and for professionals to be properly trained, so as to ensure the law can function adequately", Mulvey noted.

Background Information LAW is a unique non-profit network and think tank of human rights lawyers who provide creative legal assistance to individuals and communities who have suffered from human rights violations and abuses in fragile and conflict-affected areas. These people are those who often have the greatest need for protection and assistance but are also those who have the least access to legal resources. Most of the time, they are unaware that legal assistance exists and often do not know what their options are for legal redress. Since its establishment, LAW has focused on regions experiencing conflict, such as the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, and on key themes, such as sexual violence and accountability for security forces.

LAW's activities are centred on four pillars: c c
Strategic Casework: civil litigation, supporting criminal prosecutions, UN complaints or OECD complaints.
Advocacy and Research: including high-level panels and production of reports with practical and implementable recommendations.
Legal Assistance and Empowerment: to increase rights awareness and knowledge of legal avenues for redress.
Legal Think Tank for Creative Lawyering: for innovative legal thinking and creating a cadre of human rights champions in conflict-affected areas.

For further media information contact: Clare Brown, Legal Advisor brown@legalactionworldwide.orgmailto:brown@legalactionworldwide.org or +254 708 663 524.