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    Somaliland Debates A Tough New Penal Code For 'Rape And Sexual Offences'

    Current laws recognize some offenses but they're narrowly defined. "We want to properly address the issue once and for all," says Mohamed Ahmed of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
    by Sasha Ingber Jan 30, 2018 4 minutes
    The bill would provide "adequate protection to certain vulnerable groups," says Mohamed Ahmed, director of the legal department of Somaliland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Somaliland looks to be on the verge of enacting a bill that would punish anyone found guilty of a sexual offense.

    It's not that rape is legal in Somaliland, a self-declared republic that broke away from Somalia in 1991 but is not recognized internationally. The penal code recognizes some sexual offenses. Yet they're so narrowly defined that critics say women and girls remain unprotected. The current penal code refers to sexual offenses by the words "carnal violence" and "acts of lust."

    "As [the] government of Somaliland, we want to properly address this issue once and for all," says Mohamed Ahmed, director of the legal department of

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