Kampala — THE United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders, Margaret Ssekaggya, has backed the Marriage and Divorce Bill.

Emphasis has been put on clauses allowing women to divorce impotent men and sharing property in case of divorce.

She expressed optimism that this would curb violence against women.

"If a man is impotent, it is much more likely that there will be violence in the family. It should be a ground for divorce," Ssekaggya told The New Vision, shortly after opening the Pan African Conference on sex and gender based violence at Speke Resort Munyonyo, on Monday.

However, she cautioned that impotence-based divorce should only be allowed if the man did not reveal that he was impotent before the wedding.

The marriage Bill, drafted by the Uganda Law Reform Commission, seeks to curb domestic violence. It allows women to divorce their husbands if they are permanently impotent.

It also seeks to ban the inheritance of widows, outlaws forced marriages, makes bride price non-refundable and puts the age of marriage at 18.