The new citizenship law follows the 2004 Moudawana (Family Law), which entitles women to a range of civil rights. The minimum marriage age was raised from 15 to 18; women may now wed without the consent of a male wali (marital tutor); polygamy is restricted to cases in which wives, including the new bride, consent by written contracts approved by a judge; and men may no longer unilaterally “repudiate”—divorce—their wives without compensation.

The training ensures more than 300 Chiefs are informed on how to apply and interpret the Act, stop abuse, and offer support to victims in their communities.

Catholic delegates at this week’s international conference of the organisation are likely to raise the issue, but the majority of the 400 delegates from around the world are believed to be firmly in favour of retaining the new policy.

Amnesty International was founded in 1961 by British lawyer and Roman Catholic convert Peter Benenson to campaign

The Government should expedite the ratification of the African Union protocol on the rights of women, Rebecca Kadaga, the deputy speaker of Parliament, has urged.

“We have not seen this protocol in Parliament. The Cabinet has also not ratified it. It has got lost somewhere and we do not know where it is.”