Nigeria: Information on how common arranged marriages are among the Yoruba female community in Lagos, including customs, traditions and practices of the Yoruba community in Nigeria with regard to arranged marriages, and on the legal protection available to Yoruba women who are forced into arranged marriages
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NGA28200.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nigeria: Information on how common arranged marriages are among the Yoruba female community in Lagos, including customs, traditions and practices of the Yoruba community in Nigeria with regard to arranged marriages, and on the legal protection available to Yoruba women who are forced into arranged marriages, 1 November 1997, NGA28200.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac6944.html [accessed 17 September 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 a 6 November 1997 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, an African history professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York stated that arranged marriages involving young women are very common in Lagos, particularly among the Muslim Yoruba community. He further stated that the customs, traditions and practices of the Yoruba in Nigeria are "very complicated" and vary depending on their religion and geographica location (ibid.). The professor stated that the government considers marriage to be a domestic affair and does not interfere unless the case involves physical abuse (ibid.). He explained that in the past, parents of a woman who refused to be involved in an arranged marriage would beat her up and forcibly take to the home of the husband to be (ibid.). Although physical abuse is no longer as common as it once was, he stated that women who disobey their parents risk being ostracised by their families and being disrespected by the community (ibid.).
According to Country Reports 1996, the government "makes little effort to stop customary practices, such as the sale of children into marriage. ... There are also reports that many young girls are forced into marriage as soon as they reach puberty, regardless of age, to prevent "indecency" associated with premarital sex" (1997, 221-22).
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.
Reference
Professor of African history, Cornnell University, Ithaca, NY. 6 November 1997. Telephone interview.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1996. 1997. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.: United States Government Printing Office.