Women, like men, have equal constitutional rights and are entitled to the protection of the law in cases of domestic violence.
Domestic violence is a constitutional crime of violence and Section 36 of the constitution states in no uncertain terms that “No person shall be submitted to…treatment or punishment that is cruel or otherwise inhuman, or is inconsistent with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person”.
Criminal Court Judge, Justice Panuel Mogish, made these comments recently at the Bomana National Court sitting when sentencing a man to life in prison over the murder of his wife.
“Every day we read in the newspaper about women being assaulted or killed by husbands, boyfriends or parents for no reasons.
“Men who assault women should not think they will get away lightly. The community has had enough of this kind of abuse, violence and degradation of women.
“Respect for the dignity of women is diminishing when violent people, like the offender, murder their spouse.
“Any sentence to be imposed must respect those values of respect and equal participation but more importantly, manifest the denunciation by the court of the type of conduct in which you engaged in,” he said when sentencing Sogeri man, Tauba Liam, to life in prison.
Liam pleaded guilty to wilfully murdering his spouse on May 6, 2015, at Girimu village, Sogeri, in the Central Province.
He killed the mother of his child in what the court described as a barbaric and vicious attack in broad daylight.
During the attack, he slashed her throat and then repeatedly stabbed her on her breast and other parts of her body with a kitchen knife. He claimed he was suffering from some form of delusion but had no medical report or evidence in court.
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