Somalia Sexual Intercourse Bill: A Brief

On 8 August 2020 a new Sexual Intercourse Bill, also known as the Penetration Bill, was tabled for consideration before the Parliament of Somalia. After progress made with the adoption of the Sexual Offences Bill by the Council of Ministers in May 2018, the contents of the proposed Sexual Intercourse Bill represents a deeply concerning regression for the rights of women, girls and victims of sexual violence.

LAW has reviewed the provisions of the proposed Sexual Intercourse Bill against the Sexual Offences Bill (2018) and has prepared a comparative analysis setting out the key issues, concerns and implications of the proposed Sexual Intercourse Bill.

LAW’s three recommendations are as follows:

1. Call upon Parliament to immediately withdraw the proposed Sexual Intercourse Bill and table the Sexual Offences Bill for approval.
2. Advocate about the harmful and prejudicial impact the Sexual Intercourse Bill will have on the rights of women, girls, men and boys in Somalia.
3. Share these messages and support the petition calling for the withdrawal of the Sexual Intercourse Bill, which can be found here.