Photo: Wiki CC
It is no secret that Africa is still a patriarchal society that treats women and girls as second-class citizens. Over time, men have been given prominence both in public and in private. From installing practices that are harmful to the girl and women to giving boys prominence in education, some communities are still using sexist codes that are not only detrimental to women but to the society at large.
It is therefore not surprising that some African countries went ahead and added these sexist codes in their laws and regulations. As recent as 2009, Nigeria required a married woman to have a letter of consent from her husband so that they could be issued a passport. This was because the law categorised married women as minors and thus they needed consent from the ‘head of the family’.
It took the effort of Dr. Iyalla Amadi to take the immigration service to court over this regulation. She won, making it possible for married Nigerian women to get their passports without her husband’s consent.
This is just one example of sexist laws in Africa. Scroll through to find out more of such laws in other African countries.
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