Senate To Abolish Law That Requires Female Police Officers To Seek Permission To Marry
Nigerian female police officers can now expect some changes in the way they are treated as the Senate seek to amend the discriminatory police act (Cap P19) that mandates them to seek permission before they can marry.
Among many of such prohibitions, female officers are restricted to desk duties and prevented from drilling underarms like their male counterparts. In fact, policewomen who get pregnant without following the ‘due process’ are usually disciplined without any recourse.
But a bill sponsored by the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on State and LGs, Ezenwa Onyewuchi (PDP) from Imo East, is on course to repeal the discriminatory act.
“Many of the police regulations, particularly regulations 122, 123,124 and 127 are overly discriminatory to female police officers,” he said.
“Since a male police officer is not subjected to the same inhibitions, the current regulations are inconsistent with section 42 of the constitution and Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which have prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex.”
The bill which has passed second reading at the Senate has been well-received and is expected to come into law after the police affairs committee report back on the bill in four weeks.
