A legal officer at the Women's Justice Program in Lagos, a non-government organisation that provides legal education and counsel to women in Nigeria, corroborated the information contained in NGA32595.E OF 2 September 1999 on forced marriages (13 Sept. 1999). She emphasized that forced marriages are still prevalent in the Muslim north, particularly among the Hausa, the Fulani and the Kanuri, where girls as young as 12 years of age are forced by their parents into marriages with men who are much older than them. She explained that currently women in urban centres in the east and south of Nigeria, including Edo state cannot be forced into marriages because they have attained high levels of education and the majority of young girls attend school. The prevalence of forced marriages in the rural south is also very small, she added (ibid.).

The legal officer further stated that federal government authorities have "tried" to discourage the practice of forced marriages through programs such as universal basic education in northern states and free education at secondary level. Additionally, she stated, the government, in collaboration with NGOs, have carried out sensitization programs but these have had very little impact (ibid.). Nevertheless, she stated, the government has not enacted a law against forced marriages. She said that although girls forced into marriages have the option of running to welfare homes, this does not happen often, either because they are too young, or are ignorant of existing resources and facilities, and/or are afraid to speak out (ibid.).

The legal officer explained that traditionally in Nigerian society, an unmarried woman above 25 years of age is considered "very old" and awkward. She stated that it is "highly unlikely" that such a woman would be forced into marriage (ibid.). According to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States' (SIECUS) demographic profile of youth in Nigeria, "in the 20-24 age group, 85 percent of women have been married and nearly a third have had three or more children" (SIECUS 1999).

During its Fifty-seventh session, the Human Rights Committee of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights expressed "particular concern about the widespread practices of forced marriage and genital mutilation of girls" (HRC 1996). This concern was reiterated by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Nigeria during the Fifty-fourth session of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights (UNHCHR 15 Apr. 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.

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United Nations (SIECUS). 1999. "Adolescent Fertility in Nigeria: Health and Social Implications" http://www.siecus.org/inter/nigeria/nig0003.html [Accessed 20 Oct. 1999]

Human Rights Committee, "Comments on Nigeria." U.N. Doc. CCPR/C/79/Add.65 (1996) http://wwwl.unm.edu/humanrts/hrcommittee/57/ng4.htm [Accessed: 20 Oct. 1999)

United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (UNHCHR). Geneva. 15 April 1998. "Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Nigeria" (E/CN.4/1998/62) http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/54chr/54srnig.htm [Accessed: 20 Oct. 1999]

Women and Justice Program, Lagos. 13 October 1999. Telephone interview with Legal Officer.