Guinea: Prevalence of forced marriage among the Malinke, particularly in Conakry; likelihood of forced marriage of a woman of high school education in her twenties; availability of state protection and help from NGO's
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 6 August 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GIN39135.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Guinea: Prevalence of forced marriage among the Malinke, particularly in Conakry; likelihood of forced marriage of a woman of high school education in her twenties; availability of state protection and help from NGO's, 6 August 2002, GIN39135.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4d9a31.html [accessed 8 June 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. |
According to a report published by the International Women's Rights Action Watch (IWRAW), young women, especially those who do not attend school, are expected to marry early (9 Nov. 2001). The report states that pressure to marry is high (ibid.). The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women's (CEDAW) Concluding Observations on Guinea stated that "despite prohibitions in statutory law, there is wide social acceptance and lack of sanctions for such practices as female genital mutilation, polygamy and forced marriage, including levirate and sororate..." (2001).
A representative of the Guinean NGO called Cellule de coordination sur les pratiques traditionnelles affectant la santé des femmes et des enfants (CPTAFE), stated in a telephone interview that, although educated women in urban areas are less likely to be forced into marriage, the family circumstances of the woman involved might determine whether or not she is pressured to marry (31 July 2002). The representative wanted to state that she was unable to "guess" the likelihood of a forced marriage, especially when it involved an educated Malinke woman, but that the practice is still accepted by the majority of the Guinean population, for cultural, social and financial reasons (ibid.).
No information on the availability of state protection for those forced into marriages could be found among sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
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.
References
Cellule de coordination sur les pratiques traditionnelles affectant la santé des femmes et des enfants (CPTAFE). 31 July 2002. Telephone interview with a representative.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). 2001. Concluding Observations: Guinea. International Women's Rights Action Watch (IWRAW). 9 November 2001. Guinea. Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential. 1990-2001
The FREDA Center for Research on Violence against Women and Children
IRB Databases
Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent. 1999-2002
NEXIS
Internet sites, including:
Amnesty International
Ethnologue
FGM
FIDH
Global IDP
Guinée
Human Rights Watch
Institut Panos - Afrique de l'Ouest
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)
International for Global Communications (IGC) - Women's Net
International Women's Rights Action Watch (IWRAW)
The Living Africa: the People-Ethnic Group
Le Monde diplomatique
ReliefWeb
University of Minnesota - Human Rights Library
World News Connection (WNC)
