Whether a 25-year old unmarried mother would be forced to marry a Bini chief; reports of Bini chiefs "circumcising" such women upon marriage [NGA36454.E]

No references to forced marriage of Bini single mothers by Bini chiefs or on the circumcision or genital mutilation of the former could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate, further to NGA35761.E of 27 October 2000, NGA34915.E of 4 August 2000.

For information on marriage traditions among the Edo people of West Africa (of which the Bini is described as a linguistic group; see NGA8619 of 22 May 1991 and other previous Responses), please consult "Marriage in Edo Land" (Edo Nation Online 8 May 2000; attached to NGA36453.E of 5 Mar. 2001), "Demography" (Edo Anthropology 6 Mar. 2000), and "Bini Customs: Marriage" (R. E. Dennet 1906, Ch. XIX; also attached to NGA36453.E). Please note the editor's note on the latter document, which cautions about the currency of the information provided in the study

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


Edo Anthropology [Albany, NY]. 6 March 2000. Mowamagbe Austin Omoigui. http://www.dawodu.net/anthro.htm [Accessed 1 Mar. 2001]

Edo Nation Online [Albany, NY]. 8 May 2000. Ademola Iyi-eweka. "Marriage in Edo Land." http://www.edo-nation.net/edomar.htm. [Accessed 1 Mar. 2001]


R. E. Dennett. 1906. At the Back of the Black Man's Mind. http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/mind/mind19.htm [Accessed 1 Mar. 2001]

Additional Sources Consulted


Country Reports 1999-2000.

The Guardian [Lagos]. Searchable Archives.

Encyclopaedia Britannica [Chicago].

IRB Databases.

The Post-Express [Lagos]. Searchable Archives.

Note:

This list is not exhaustive. Country and subject-specific publications available at the Resource Centre are not included.