NCJ Number
86206
Date Published
1982
Length
8 pages
Annotation
In rural regions of Nigeria, women having twin births or breech deliveries are isolated from the community or killed, and women suspected of witchcraft are killed, while women who have not had children in their lifetimes have their abdomens slit after death to show their failure in the afterlife.
Abstract
Because animals have more than one baby at birth, for a woman to have twins is considered abnormal in many of the rural areas of Nigeria. For a woman to have twins is considered a sign that she has committed some form of adultery or another serious wrong. The twins themselves are viewed as inhuman and are abandoned or killed. The woman is sometimes killed but more often banned from the community for a time. Nigerian law forbids this practice of dealing with twins and their mothers, but the tradition is deeply embedded in rural culture and is still practiced. Also, in many parts of the country, having a breech delivery is considered an abomination, and such mothers are treated the same as mothers of twins. The Igbo people of Nigeria and other neighboring tribes attribute witchcraft to some women, and they are abused, driven from the community, or killed. Women accused of witchcraft are frequently submitted to ordeals to determine their guilt or innocence. An often-used test is the drinking of a poisonous solution which if vomited proves innocence while death establishes guilt. Those conducting the ordeal know that the result is determined by the concentration of the solution. If a woman remains barren throughout her life, at her death the left side of her abdomen is split with a knife to show those in the land of the dead that she failed to fulfill her obligation to bear children. Tabular data are provided on the aforementioned types of female victimizations for the years 1974-77. Eight notes and eight references are provided.