The Rivers State House of Assembly has passed into law the Rivers State Dehumanizing and Harmful Practices Abolition Amendment bill of 2019.
The law repealed the Rivers State Dehumanizing and Harmful Practices Abolition Law number two of 2003.
Some of the harmful traditional practices include, female circumcisions, widowhood among others.
The amended bill was sponsored by the lawmaker representing Emohua constituency in the House, Sam Ogeh.
It sought for stiffer penalties for those who still engage in dehumanizing and harmful traditional practices, especially in rural areas of the state.
Presenting the bill on the floor of the House, earlier, Ogeh noted that defaulters should be made to face a two year jail term or an option of N500, 000 fine to serve as a deterrent to others who may wish to carry out dehumanising and harmful actions against citizens of the state in the name of tradition.
Supporting the bill, leader of the house, Martin Amaehule stated that the N10, 000 paltry sum as fine to defaulters as contained in the principal law was not sufficient to discourage those engaged in the act, insisting that the penalty for offenders should be made heavy to discourage intending offenders from indulging in such.
The Nation
