Protection of women against discriminatory laws, policies and practices in nigeria: an appraisal

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><div><p>Human rights are rights that have come to be guaranteed over time, to all men and</p><p>women, irrespective of race or creed. These rights extend to even the unborn, in</p><p>certain circumstances. However, in many societies, women are subject to</p><p>discriminatory tendencies in the form of laws, policies and practices that derogate</p><p>from their human rights, simply became of their gender.</p><p>Many international instruments have been put in place to stem these negative</p><p>tendencies, especially through the works of the United Nations Educational,</p><p>Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Labour</p><p>Organization (I.L.O)</p><p>In Nigeria, for instance, women tend to suffer inequalities in the social, political ,</p><p>economic and cultural fields. This is notwithstanding the fact that there are formal</p><p>provisions on the statute books that guarantees equality to all before the law.</p><p>As the ‘grundnorm,’ all the Constitution made for Nigeria with their fundamental</p><p>rights provisions envisage equality of all citizens, whether male or female. The</p><p>Thesis finds that the envisaged equality is at best formal and not actual, even</p><p>though the country is a party to international conventions and instruments that</p><p>provide for equal enjoyment of human rights by both genders.</p><p>Some laws, cultural practices and traditions have been fingered in restricting and</p><p>derogating from the enjoyment of basic rights by women. This thesis sets out to</p><p>vi</p></div><p>identify derogations from women’s rights, its effects and proffer suggestions on</p><p>how to curtail these gustative tendencies, with particular reference to Nigeria.</p><div><p><strong>CHAPTER</strong>&nbsp;<strong>ONE</strong></p><p><strong>G</strong><strong>ENERAL</strong>&nbsp;<strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p><p><strong>1.1</strong>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<strong>BACKGROUND</strong>&nbsp;<strong>TO</strong>&nbsp;<strong>STUDY</strong></p><p>Women are connected to other human beings through the biologically based activities of</p><p>pregnancy, breast-feeding and heterosexual intercourse¹. However, throughout history, women</p><p>have had to struggle against direct and indirect barriers to their self-development and their full</p><p>participation in social, political, economic and cultural activities of different societies.</p><p>Discrimination against women starts at birth, in the discriminatory</p></div> <br><p></p>