Once known chiefly as the country that dictator Idi Amin raped and bloodied in the 1970s, Uganda is now working on a draft policy that would ban any media or entertainment outlet publishing or showing adult images. In addition, the country wants to require all Internet service providers to install porn filters.
The draft language defines porn as any material that “depicts any unclothed or under-clothed sexually arousing parts of the human body such as breasts or thighs or buttocks or genitalia; or, (b) depicts or describes or narrates sexual intercourse or any behavior that is usually associated with or that leads to sexual intercourse or sexual stimulation; or, (c) describes or exhibits sexual subjects or activity in a manner tending to stimulate erotic feelings."
Written by the country's Directorates of Information and Ethics and Integrity, the draft said "immediate action" is needed in light of a notable increase in porn availability in Uganda.
"The draft also called some of the country's existing laws dealing with porn outdated or inadequate to "address the challenges posed by those bent on trading in pornography."
The proposed legislation calls for Ugandan courts to take action against porn, while noting that the courts are inhibited by "weaknesses in the current law" that are exploited by "social and technological advances."
Also included is a zero-tolerance policy the draft writers called correcting double standards they see in other countries where the enforcement of anti-porn laws and polices let porn thrive.
"Zero tolerance means that all public, policy, legal, economic, political, constitutional, and organizational loopholes that would open a window for pornography must be plugged," the language said.
