Mali: Information on what can happen to a Muslim woman who has married a non-Muslim white man without the consent of her parents; whether the woman can return to and be accepted in her family and whether that applies in the case of an unlawful marriage

In a 30 August 1996 telephone interview, a former consultant to OXFAM-Great Britain, who worked in Mali for six years, explained that mixed marriages are common in Mali, especially as the members of the Touareg ethnic group from the north of the country are often assimilated to white people. He added that the family in Mali is so closely knit and so much the focal point for its members that a complete break between a person and the other members of the family due to lack of consent to a marriage, to a divorce, or to an unlawful marriage is inconceivable (ibid.).

However, in a study prepared by the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI), from which an extract is attached, it is stated that [translation] "in Mali, section 184 of the Penal Code on the abandonment of the matrimonial home opens the door to all kinds of abuse of women, because even when they are living under the threat of violence, they are required to cohabit with their husband on pain of being pursued and humiliated" (July 1995, 19). The report also indicates that [translation] "in a general way, there is a shortage of mechanisms and structures for ensuring respect for the right to physical and mental integrity" (CECI July 1995, 19-20). For further information on the situation of Malian women in general, please consult the attached extract from this report, as well as Country Reports 1995 (1996, 164).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB 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

Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI). July 1995. Suzanne Dumouchel. Les droits des femmes et les organisations concernées. Synthèse des six études : Guinée, Cap-Vert, Guinée Bissau, Mali, Burkina Faso et Niger.

Former consultant to OXFAM-Great Britain. 30 August 1996. Telephone interview.

Attachment

Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI). July 1995. Suzanne Dumouchel. Les droits des femmes et les organisations concernées. Synthèse des six études : Guinée, Cap-Vert, Guinée Bissau, Mali, Burkina Faso et Niger, pp. 7-20.

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential [London]. 1995 to this date.

Africa Research Bulletin: Political Series [London]. 1995 to this date.

Amnesty International Report. Yearly. New York: Amnesty International.

Femmes sous le voile face à la loi islamique. 1995. Chahla Chafiq-Farhad Khosrokhava.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports. 1995 to this date.

Indexed Media Review.

Mali country file. 1994 to this date.

News From Africa Watch [New York]. 1995.

West Africa [London]. 1995 to this date.

The World's Women. 1995.

Searches for news articles in on-line databases.

Four oral sources could not provide information on the above topic.

Note:

This list is not exhaustive.