The Law Development Centre in Uganda banned a young lady from attending lectures for dressing in a mini – skirt as shown in the picture above. The law student identified as Joanine Nanyange, took to Facebook on Wednesday to protest against the unfair treatment she received from the security officers at the centre’s gate.
According to the victim, she said the officer explained that her skirt will distract the boys in her class and make them not concentrate.
Read her full post below…
Today, dressed like this, I went to the Law Development Centre to attend classes. Unlike all other days, I saw two women seated right outside the Centre’s gate, one dressed in a Khaki Police uniform. It was an unusual sight and I thought there was something or someone epic on campus. I got off the boda boda and walked towards the gate. The uniformed woman flagged me down and being the law abiding citizen that I am, I stopped. She asked me to pull my skirt down to see how far down it could go. I burst into laughter. Her request didn’t make sense. She insisted, quite seriously. I told her that was the farthest my skirt could go and there was no need to pull it. The other woman, ever with a very satisfied grin, told me I could not access the campus because my skirt was not long enough for LDC standards. I was shocked. Yes. Shocked. Seeing the bewilderment on my face, the two women laboured to explain. Apparently, skirts like mine attract the boys and men that we study with and bar them from concentrating. So they could not be allowed!!!!!!
During induction week, the Deputy Director of the Centre, a woman, told us we shouldn’t wear clothes that distract ‘our brothers’ most of whom are married. I posted about it here. When I got the so-called rules of LDC, I read the section about dress-code and it’s ridiculous. They even prescribe the colour of socks that men should wear! Having dealt with Ugandan systems, including courts which should know better, I know that until something directly affects you, you are not allowed to complain about it. This far, these rules have not been implemented. Now that they have, I am allowed to complain.
A few years ago, 2014 to be specific, Parliament was debating a law that was dubbed the ‘mini-skirt Bill’ for its apparent prohibition of mini-skirts. As would be expected, the Bill caused an uproar among opponents and proponents alike. On one side, there was anger about the ridiculousness of the law along with its discriminatory and sexist undertones; while on the other side there was excitement over the law’s presentation of fertile ground to ridicule and dehumanise women just for the fun of it. Activists stood up against the law and some of these provisions were removed. But the damage was done. Women had been attacked. Women had been beaten. Women had been undressed. We were livid…
