Journal Citation:
12(3) HUMAN RIGHTS BRIEF, 17-20 (Spring 2005)
This article examines the violations of the human rights of women in Sierra Leone under the General Laws, Customary Laws, and Islamic Laws that pertain to marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Using the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the author explains how the laws and customs pertaining to marriage in Sierra Leone violate the commitments Sierra Leone has made to these international instruments. The author concludes with recommendations for urgent reform and domestic codification of the provisions contained in the international agreements to which Sierra Leone is signed. [Descriptors: Marriage, International - Africa]