FIGHTING WOMEN'S DISCRIMINATION - MODERN AND TRADITIONAL

In many parts of Africa, some traditional practices discriminate against the dignity and personality of women and girls. In some parts of South-Eastern Nigeria, for example, girls of very young age are married to wealthy elderly men, against the payment of very high bride price. Frequently, the parents do not dare to refuse, as this would mean shame on their family.

Young women are discriminated against by this and other traditional practices in all parts of Nigeria. Frequently, they are disadvantaged in comparison to their male siblings. Often, formal school education is regarded as irrelevant for girls. As adults, many women experience violence by their husbands. They have restricted property and inheritance rights. As widows, many women are forced to undergo degrading rites - as if to prove that they are not guilty of their husband's death.

The Centre for Women's Studies and Intervention (CWSI) inAbuja has been founded to fight against these forms of discrimination. It emerged from a Catholic women's order. HBF Nigeria supports one of CWSI's projects, which conducts enlightenment courses in parish centres. In these courses, women - many of them illiterate - develop strategies to end or at least reduce traditional and modern forms of discrimination. This cannot be achieved without the help of enlightened men. Therefore, CWSI conducts training courses for men as well, especially for Traditional Rulers and other local leaders, in order to sensitise them for these issues. Furthermore, CWSI trains and supports "paralegals", i.e. legal aides. They forward particularly grave cases that cannot be solved within community structures, to specialised organisations.

CWSI not only tries to achieve equity and justice between the sexes, but also addresses discrimination against women within the institution of the church.

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