16:00 - 17:30
Room: Muirhead – Room 121
Stream: Slavery and Marriage in African Societies
Chair/s:
Marco Gardini
The Marriage-Slavery Nexus In Nigeria: The Socio-Political Discourse And Implications
Anthonia Hafunjoh Okonye
National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja

Long before the advent of western colonization of Africa, slavery existed in various forms. However, enslavement of women through forced marriage, servile marriage, levirate , bride wealth, Islamic concubinage and the likes are still being practiced in many African States regardless of international consensus and condemnation against such as they are intertwined with the traditional, religious and cultural practices of many African societies. Though long abolished under international law, slavery hidden under the guise of marriage (especially of underage girls) remain a common custom despite international and African Union Conventions on slavery and human rights declaring that marriages not based on the full and free consent of both parties are considered a violation of human rights and a form of slavery. Using comparative analysis of the three major regions in Nigeria (North, South-West and South-East), this paper examines the interrelationship between marriage and slavery in Nigeria by exploring historical and contemporary practices and institutions in which marriage and slavery overlap. Most importantly, it probes the root causes why the practice persists notwithstanding international and national law, the political discourse and implication for the wider society. The paper employs the analytical perspectives of social death and community identity and lifestyle as theoretical underpinning, relying on both secondary and primary data. It revealed that plural legal systems; situations where different legal systems are observed within a single sovereign state or one socioeconomic space is a major hindrance to eradicating the evil of marriage slavery and recommend the development of coordinated and harmonized national legal framework prohibiting marriage slavery and legislating penalties for violators.

KEYWORDS: Slavery; Marriage, International Conventions, National Laws, Plural Legal System, Political Discourse.


Reference:
Tu-A39 Slavery 2-P-002
Presenter/s:
Anthonia Hafunjoh Okonye
Presentation type:
Panel
Room:
Muirhead – Room 121
Chair/s:
Marco Gardini
Date:
Tuesday, 11 September
Time:
16:15 - 16:30
Session times:
16:00 - 17:30