Nigeria: State protection available to an Edo widow who is expected to marry her brother-in-law
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 18 May 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NGA34452.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nigeria: State protection available to an Edo widow who is expected to marry her brother-in-law, 18 May 2000, NGA34452.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad6e54.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No information on the state protection available to an Edo widow who is expected to marry her brother-in-law (levirate/leviration) could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, a representative of the Widow's Development Organization (WIDO) in Enugu State provided the following information. She stated that she cannot provide information specific to Edo widows as her work is focused on Enugu State, but that she can provide the following general comments based upon her knowledge:
The practice of leviration has been markedly reduced with education and modernization. It is practised more by the heathen who still believe that the woman, like property, should be inherited. Some widows opt for it as a source of economic support, especially if the woman has young children who cannot fight for their father's property. Most times only a lady who is financially independent can refuse. There are no federal or state laws prohibiting leviration in cultures where forced marriage is practiced; the police and government authorities do not get involved when a woman refuses since they treat it as a family matter (18 May 2000).
According to Empowering Widows in Development, which is a UK-based "non-profit, non-governmental organization," WIDO was inaugurated by the First Lady of Enugu State and the organization's activities include collecting data, campaigning, lobbying, and training village women in interviewing techniques (1998). WIDO's representative "was one of the principal drafters of the Medical Women's International Association's condemnation of widowhood rites as a gross violation of human rights" (ibid.).
For other general information on the practice of levirate in Nigeria, as well as available state protection, please consult NGA33619.E of 27 January 2000, NGA33868.E of 8 February 2000 and NGA707.E of 10 September 1999..
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Empowering Widows in Development, London, U.K. 1998. "Nigeria."
Widow's Development Organization, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria. 18 May 2000. Correspondence from a representative.
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases
LEXIS-NEXIS
REFWORLD
Resource Centre. Nigeria country file. October 1997 - April 2000.
World News Connection (WNC)
Five non-documentary sources contacted did not provide information on the requested subject.
Unsuccessful attempts to contact 24 non-documentary sources.
Internet sites including:
Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge].
Newswatch [Lagos].
Nigeria News Network.
Post Express [Lagos].
Sisterhood is Global Institute
Search engines including:
Dogpile
Highway 61
HotBot
