Every year hundreds of defilers have been walking free from Ugandan courts after their victims failing to explain clearly how the illegal and brutal sexual acts were performed on them. But all that will soon become history, after the introduction of new techniques by which the underage rape victims do not have to use explicit verbal descriptions of their ordeal to satisfy court that they were indeed defiled.
This follows the acquisition of Anatomically Detailed Dolls by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions which the minors can handle and show how their tormentors actually conducted the rape. Until now, defense lawyers have had an easy time tearing up rape victims’ testimonies because of the usually traumatized minors and even adults failing to describe in graphical language how their tormentors did it.
So effective this Monday October 25th, the State will deploy the Anatomically Detailed Dolls which are made with visually descriptive sexual reproductive parts to kick off the prosecution of more than 700 rape and defilement cases countrywide. The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Charles Elem Ogwal says they can now confidently expect to secure timely conviction in most of the cases as the victims will henceforth be able to illustrate how the sexual act occurred by use of those dolls without having to expressly mention the names of the sexual reproductive organs and without explaining the graphic details of how the act was performed.
The sexually detailed dolls have been dispatched to the courts in 14 centres where 14 criminal sessions are scheduled to take place starting on Monday. These are in the High Courts at Kampala, Kasese, Masaka, Mbarara, Tororo, Iganga, Moroto, Gulu, Adjumani, Otuke, and at the Chief Magistrates Courts of Apac, Busia, Tororo and Nakapiripirit. It is expected that the 700 cases (among other non sexual ones) will have been concluded by the end of the year.If all goes according accordning to Elem Ogwal’s expectations, 700 rapists will be put of circulation for several to many years, making society safer for young girls and women, and to an extent these days, boys.
