No information on arranged marriages within the Ijaw community, or in Port Harcourt, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, there are a number of reports of organizations calling on Nigerian authorities and society to take action with regard to discouraging early, or arranged, marriages in Nigeria (Guardian 25 Dec 1999; Post Express 12 Apr. 2000; ibid. 25 Oct. 1999; ibid. 20 Sept. 1999).

Country Reports 1999 stated that

The Government only occasionally criticized child abuse and neglect, and it made little effort to stop customary practices harmful to children, such as the sale of young girls into marriage. There were credible reports that poor families sell their daughters into marriage as a means of supplementing their income. Young girls often are forced into marriage as soon as they reach puberty, regardless of age, in order to prevent the "indecency" associated with premarital sex (25 Feb. 2000 Section 5).

An 18 year old girl from Katsina State burned herself to death in April 2000 after her father refused hers, and her husband's request, to sanction their separation after a "marriage forced on her two months ago" (AFP 5 Apr. 2000). AFP stated that "forced marriages occur often in Nigeria where young women are regularly ordered to accept their parents' choice of husband" (ibid.).

Two Post Express reports cited government and women's representatives from Enugu and Cross River States as saying that early marriage was more prevalent in northern states (20 Oct. 1999; ibid. 5 Dec. 1999). However, a 9 May 1999 Post Express article reported claims by the Zamfara State Administrator that the numbers of girls involved in early marriage had declined. An 18 October 1999 Guardian article stated that at a meeting in Kaduna "wives of the 19 Northern state governors at the weekend, resolved to end child labour, teenage marriage and other social ills which have retarded the progress of some Northern states." At a January 2000 workshop in Kaduna, organized by the League of Democratic Women (LEADS), representatives from women's organizations from the 19 northern states "called for a commission for Gender Equality ... [that] would work to ensure that all discriminatory laws and practices were abolished [including] early and forced marriages" (Guardian 22 Jan. 2000). The representatives claimed that the "1999 Constitution did not emphasise equality of citizens" (ibid.).

The following are reports of actions by government authorities, and others, with respect to discouraging early marriage. In march 2000, the Cross Rivers State House of Assembly was reported to be considering a law "prohibiting early marriage of the girl child in the state" (Post Express 30 Mar. 2000). The Speaker of the House called on women's organizations to make suggestions on the bill and "blamed parents for forcing their daughters into marriage even as some of them are made to marry men who they do not love. The bill would peg the age of marriage for girls" (ibid.).

In December 1999 the Enugu State government "called on religious leaders, non-governmental and voluntary organisations to help champion the campaign against all harmful traditional norms against women," including early marriages (Post Express 5 Dec. 1999).

A 27 August 1999 Post Express article stated:

A new angle to the campaign against child marriage is the growing calls on government at all levels to enact a law that will discourage parents from giving out their teenage daughters to suitors. The law when put in place, is expected to compel parents to ensure that their daughters attain not only a certain age but also acquire a reasonable level of education before they are married.

The essence of the law, according to a woman activist, Dr. Bene Madunagu [University of Calabar lecturer] is to ensure that the girl-child is given equal opportunity to study, know her rights and is given the freedom to choose whom to marry and not the current practice where fathers lighten their family burdens through forced marriage.

According to a 30 June 1998 Post Express report "any cleric in the Assemblies of God Church who presides at the wedding of any girl aged 15 and below to any man, in Ezambgo district of the church, in Ebonyi State is to be suspended." The head of the church "announced this during an enlightenment forum on the dangers of early and forced marriages of the girl-child. ... The cleric argued that churches could be the most effective platform to fight against forced and early marriages, which he described as obnoxious" (ibid.). The president of the Abakaliki Women Association "promised that it would give churches special focus in its campaign against early and forced marriages. She also said that traditional rulers and other opinion leaders would be educated on the disadvantages of giving out girls under 18 in marriage" (ibid.).

In January 1998, "The wife of the Osun State Administrator and Chairperson Family Support Programme (FSP)" called on Nigerian women "to wage war against early marriages and pregnancy" (Post Express 15 Jan. 1998).

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

Agence France Presse (AFP). 5 April 2000. "Nigerian Girl Burns Herself to Death to Protest Imposed Marriage." (NEXIS)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1999. 25 February 2000. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1999_hrp_report/nigeria.html [Accessed 19 Apr. 2000]

The Guardian [Lagos]. 22 January 2000. "Constitution Not Gender Sensitive, Say Women Activists." http://nigerianews.net [Accessed 19 Apr. 2000]

_____. 25 December 1999. "NGO Propagates Rights of the Child." http://nigerianews.net> [Accessed 19 Apr. 2000]

_____. 18 October 1999. "Northern Governors' Wives Vow to End Child Labour." http://nigerianews.net [Accessed 19 Apr. 2000]

Post Express [Lagos]. 12 April 2000. Ngozi Nwachukwu. "Women Urged to Combat Early Marriage." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

_____. 30 March 2000. Jude Okwe. "Cross River Assembly Moves to Prohibit Early Marriages." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

_____. 5 December 1999. Dons Eze. "Enugu Calls for Scrapping of Harmful Norms Against Women." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

_____. 25 October 1999. "LCWAN Cautions on Early Marriage." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

_____. 20 October 1999. Jude Okwe. "NAWOJ to Focus on Gender Issues." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

_____. 20 September 1999.Stephen Oboh. "Human Rights Group Makes case for Women." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

_____. 27 August 1999. Jude Okwe. "Govt Urged to Enact Laws Against Teenage Marriage." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

_____. 9 May 1999. Doye Dappa. "First Lady Calls for Elimination of Discrimination Against Women." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

_____. 30 June 1998. "Pastors Risk Suspension Over Underaged Girls' Weddings." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

_____. 15 January 1998. Gbenga Faturoti. "Women Urged to Resist Early Marriages." www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 18 Apr. 2000]

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB databases

LEXIS-NEXIS

REFWORLD

Research Directorate. Indexed Media Review (IMR) [Ottawa]. Weekly. July 1999 - April 2000.

Resource Centre. Nigeria country file. September 1997 - April 2000.

West Africa [London]. December 1999 - March 2000.

Win News [Lexington, Mass.]. Autumn 1995 - Autumn 1997.

World News Connection (WNC)

Unsuccessful attempts to contact four non-documentary sources

Internet sites including:

The Center for Reproductive Law and Policy (CRLP)