Polygamy in Sierra Leone
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Polygamy is prohibited under Sierra Leone’s penal code. Polygamy is authorized in customary marriages (under customary laws, the indigenous law of the various ethnic groups of Africa), where a man can take as many wives as he wishes.[CEDAW (2007), Responses to the List of Issues And Questions with Regard to the Consideration of the Combined Initial, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Periodic Reports: Sierra Leone, CEDAW/C/SLE/Q/5/Add. 1, CEDAW, New York, NY, p. 17.]
Prevalence of polygamy
As of 2019, 30% of women and 14% of men were in a polygamous union. However, "the percentage of women with one or more co-wives has decreased gradually over time, from 37% in 2008 and 35% in 2013 to 30% in 2019".{{Cite journal |date=October 2020 |title=Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey 2019 |url=https://dhsprogram.com/publications/publication-FR365-DHS-Final-Reports.cfm |journal=The DHS Program |pages=61–62}} The most common form of polygamous arrangements consist of one man with two or three wives.{{Cite journal |last=Newbury |first=Emma |date=June 2017 |title=UNDERSTANDING WOMEN’S LIVES IN POLYGAMOUS MARRIAGES: EXPLORING COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES IN SIERRA LEONE & DRC |url=https://www.trocaire.org/sites/default/files/resources/policy/1-overview-report-polygamy_0.pdf |journal=}}
Polygamy is more prevalent in rural than urban areas of Sierra Leone. As of 2019, 36% of rural women have at least one co-wife, compared to 20% of urban women. In addition, 19% of rural men report having two or more wives, compared with 7% of urban men.
References
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Category:Society of Sierra Leone
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