In a bid towards women empowerment, Sudan abolished its ‘Public Order’ law – a law that dictated how women dress and act in public -which was put in place by ousted President Omar Al Bashir. The ‘Public Order Act’ was instated in 1996 in Khartoum, seven years after the Islamist backed party of Bashir took power through a military coup. It punishes the violators through flogging, heavy fines and up to five years imprisonment. According to human rights organizations, the Bashir regime used the Public Order Act as a weapon against women in particular. Security forces arrested women for “the most insignificant reasons”, such as attending private parties, wearing trousers, not wearing hijab in public, or mingling with men. Sudan’s state news agency SUNA said that after a 14-hour session on Thursday, the decree was abolished alongside the National Congress Party – Bashir’s ruling regime. On his official Twitter account, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamadok described the law as “notorious for being used as a tool of exploitation, humiliation & violation of rights. Many have used this law for financial & psychological exploitation.” He added that “Along the way a lot…
Sudan Abolishes its Public Order Law in a Move Towards Women Empowerment
November 29, 2019
