Today's Pick from New Vision, Uganda
Blind man accused of wife snatching
Publish Date: Monday, Jan 12, 2015
Publish Date: Monday, Jan 12, 2015
Atuko and her new catch Opio at Ngora Central Police Station. Photo by Tolbert Edait
A mother of seven in Ngora district has ditched her 70-yearold husband for a 52-year-old blind man, raising eyebrows in her community.
Rose Atuko, who has been married to Augustine Osupa of Kees village, Ngora subcounty in Ngora district for 16 years is now cohabiting with John Opio, 52. Their union has further been cemented by the birth of a son who is now three years old.
The matter, however, only came to light recently when Osupa sought the intervention of the Child and Family Protection Unit at Ngora Central Police Station.
“I feel bad losing my wife to a blind man after producing six children with her during our 16-year-old marriage,” Osupa told the New Vision.
He said he still loved his wife and that it was not good for their children to miss the love of either parent, especially considering his advanced age and the need to have a wife by his side.
Atuko and her former husband Osupa. Photo by Tolbert Edait
“I will not prevent Atuko from visiting the children she produced with Osupa if I marry her. I will also offer them support where necessary,” Opio said.
The head of the Child and Family Protection Unit in Soroti, Michael Erimu, said they advised the two parties to have the matter resolved by clan members and accord the children their rights.
“Atuko’s heart is with Opio who has also declared his readiness to meet the cultural requirements in marrying her. Therefore, the clan should be able to solve this matter without hurting any party,” Erimu said.
Michael Opio, the chairman of the Irarak Imumwa clan to which Osupa belongs, said they allowed Atuko to marry Opio.
Locals witnessing the payment of the bride price by Opio to Osupa. Photo by Tolbert Edait
During the recent clan meeting, Atuko shocked relatives and friends by openly declaring that she could not continue being Osupa’s wife because of his advanced age and failure to carry out his conjugal duties.
‘Even if Opio is blind, my heart is with him because he is able to meet all my needs as a woman; unlike Osupa my former husband,” Atuko said.
The deputy information minister for the Iteso Cultural Union, Jonathan Maraka, however, condemned the proposed union between Atuko and Opio, saying she should stick to Osupa. He said what the lovebirds had done is against Iteso cultural norms and called for Opio to be fined.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of Uganda National Disabled Union, Patrick Onyait, said this was the first case he has registered of a blind person being accused of grabbing another person’s wife.
Kayum Ahmed is a manager in the International Relations section of the South African Parliament. While in this position, he has led the Multilateral International Relations Team and negotiated international agreements with the European Parliament and the Chinese Congress. He holds an MA from the University of the Western Cape and an LLM from Leiden University in the Netherlands, through a Nelson Mandela Scholarship. Before his time in Parliament, he worked with the Commission on Gender Equality, the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, and a private consulting firm. His main areas of interest include democracy, law, and human rights, and he plans to use his Humphrey year to gain further understanding of the U.S. Congressional approach to these topics. 
Anneen de Jay is an attorney at Metcalfe Legal Practitioners, where she drafts international cross-border trade, direct foreign loan, and international shareholder agreements and assists in large-scale property developments. She also works with the trading of carbon credits and advises on the particulars of the Kyoto Protocol. Currently, she is working on a bio-energy project which could potentially create thousands of new jobs for Namibians. Her main areas of interest include international business and environmental law, and she plans to use her Humphrey year to gain further experience toward helping previously disadvantaged groups in Namibia, including women and children, and establish business connections which will aid her in uplifting her community, as well as broadening her understanding of international finance law and the operation of international organizations. 
Dhilip Nawaz is a senior state counsel in the Sri Lankan Attorney-General’s office. He represents the state in original and appellate courts on governmental issues, serves as legal advisor to the State, and supervises banking and company law issues. He had the distinction of leading evidence at the Sri Lankan Truth Commission, as well as acting as a state prosecutor. He is a renowned lecture and holds degrees from the University of Colombo and Sri Lanka Law College, and an LLM from King’s College, London, after receiving the British Chevening Award. His main area of interest is international trade and finance law, and he plans to use his Humphrey year to gain further knowledge of this subject to aid in his work with Sri Lankan state institutions. 
Cheng Dong is the director of No. 2 Division of Legal Affairs Department for the State Intellectual Property Office of P.R. China, where she participates in drafting international intellectual property treaties and revisions of Chinese patent law. She has been with the State Intellectual Property Office since 1991 after her graduation from the South China University of Technology and the China University of Political Science and Law. Her main areas of interest include intellectual property law, public policy, and public administration, and she plans to use her Humphrey year to gain further knowledge of intellectual property law, develop additional leadership skills, and acquire a more international focus. 
Wei Huang is a partner and deputy director at Fujian Xiamen Xufeng Law Firm in Xiamen, China. He also holds the positions of director of the Intellectual Property Research Society of China Higher Schools, deputy secretary general of the Fujian Province Young Lawyers Association, and legal counselor for Nike Company Ltd. He has a Master’s degree in civil and commercial law from Xiamen University. His main area of interest is intellectual property law. He was honored as an excellent lawyer in Fujian province three times, including one of the top 10 excellent lawyers in 2008. Wei plans to use this Humphrey year to gain further knowledge of intellectual property and bring his experience back to China. 
Tamerlan Ibraimov is board chair of the Center for Legal and Political Studies in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. In this role he manages the organization’s activities and develops contacts with the government, civil society groups, and businesses. He identifies education about new political and human rights structures as a major need in his home country. Toward this end he has published several texts, including “Political Parties, 2000,” “Elections: Rules and Procedures for Voters,” and “Non-Commercial Law.” His main area of interest is human rights law, and he plans to use his Humphrey year to gain further knowledge of the litigation and protection of civil and political rights and apply this to his work with political parties and NGOs in Kyrgyzstan. 
Michelle Maharajh-Brown is a magistrate in the judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago. She currently presides in the Family Court and has previously served as a magistrate in various criminal courts as well as a judge in the Petty Civil Court in Port of Spain. She has worked as a senior state counsel in the Offices of the Attorney General and also tutors at the Hugh Wooding Law School. Her main areas of interest include juvenile delinquency and rehabilitation. She plans to use her Humphrey year to gain further knowledge of these subjects, which she would use to inform her sentencing of young offenders in her own country and to be able to offer alternative options for their rehabilitation. 
Roberto Moreno is a state prosecutor for the Colón Province in Panama and a professor of criminology and penal law at the undergraduate level at the Santa Maria La Antigua University. In addition to his law degree, he holds a Master’s degree in criminology from the Universidad de Panama. He has also published numerous articles on criminal justice, gang violence, and child labor and helps NGOs with gang member rehab and domestic abuse prevention programs in the Colón area. His main areas of interest include corruption, ethics, and judicial administration, and he plans to use his Humphrey year to gain further knowledge of these subjects, which he would like to use toward helping to prosecute those guilty of corruption in Panama. 
Zainab Mwatawala is an assistant lecturer at Mzumbe University in Tanzania. She holds multiple degrees and certificates from the University of Dar es Salaam, the Tanzania School of Journalism, the Institute of Development Management in Mzumbe, and the Shinyanga Commercial Institute. Her goal is to establish a sustainable legal aid center to assist community members in understanding their democratic rights and to increase access to justice through the provision of legal aid. Her main areas of interest include legal education, advocacy, and human rights, and she plans to use her Humphrey year to gain further knowledge of these subjects to use toward establishing the center, improving legal literacy in Tanzania, and protecting the rights of indigent peoples in her country. 
Flavia Peixoto is a federal judge specializing in intellectual property rights for the Federal Judiciary Circuit Court of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Before holding this position, she worked as an architect, judicial analyst, French teacher, and interpreter. She holds degrees in law, building rationalization, and architecture and city planning. Reflecting her diverse education and professional background, she has many different interests, chief among them currently being intellectual property law, trademarks, and patents. She plans to use her Humphrey year to gain further knowledge of these subjects, which she would like to use toward professional enrichment and improving her decision-making capacity concerning the IPR law suits submitted to her when she returns to Brazil. 
Andrea Souza is a public prosecutor for the State Prosecution Office of Vitoria, Brazil. In this position she works to defend the rule of law and human rights. Her duties include filing lawsuits to preserve the environment and creating an inclusive educational policy regarding public policy areas. She has also worked as a professor at the School of Public Prosecution and as an attorney at a private law firm. Her main areas of interest are youth human rights and judicial and legal aid reform. She plans to use her Humphrey year to gain further knowledge of these subjects, which she would like to use toward improving public services, fighting for human rights, and implementing youth protection programs throughout the state of Espirito Santo.
