Nigeria: Protection available to a Christian widow of a Muslim man when the family of her late husband wants her to marry her brother-in-law and to undergo female circumcision; the feasibility of the woman moving to another state of Nigeria and resettling there
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 10 September 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NGA32707.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nigeria: Protection available to a Christian widow of a Muslim man when the family of her late husband wants her to marry her brother-in-law and to undergo female circumcision; the feasibility of the woman moving to another state of Nigeria and resettling there , 10 September 1999, NGA32707.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad6d7c.html [accessed 20 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. |
In Nigeria, marriage is governed by customary law, which varies from tribe to tribe, by Islamic law, and by statutory law (Akande 1993, 7).
Information specific to protection available to a Christian widow of a Muslim man who refuses to be "inherited" by her brother in-law and on the feasibility of her relocation to another part of Nigeria and resettlement there could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research directorate. Generally, if a widow cannot be "inherited," she is "left in the unhappy position of returning destitute to her own family" (Akande 1993, 11).
A workshop organized by an non-governmental organization (NGO), Project Health, in collaboration with Abia State Women Association (ABSWA) Lagos branch in July 1998, detailed the "atrocious, dehumanising and destructive practices" which widows face in Nigeria." Although women were advised to be self-reliant and independent of their husbands, there was no indication of legal protection or redress available to them (Post Express Wired 21 July 1998). Country Reports 1998 states that government tolerates customary and religious practices that "adversely" affect women (1999, 332).
For information on female genital mutilation in Nigeria, please consult NGA32137.E of 7 July 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 see below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Akande, Jadesola. "Women and the Law." In Akintunde O. Obilade (ed.). 1993. Women in Law. Baton Rouge: Southern University Law Center & Faculty of Law, University of Lagos.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for Human Rights Practices for 1998. 1999. United States Department of State. United States Government Printing Office.
Post Express Wired. 21 July 1998. "Nigerian Widows Cry for Succour."
Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential [London]. January 1998-June 1999. Vols. 39-40.
Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series [Oxford]. January- December 1998. Vol. 35.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1997-1998. 1998-1999. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. 1997-April 1999. Vols. 44-45.
West Africa [London]. January 1998-December 1998. Weekly.
Electronic sources: IRB databases, Internet, LEXIS/NEXIS, World Network Connection (WNC)
