Attorney General Defends Polygamy After Constitutional Challenge
In other parts of the world, polygamy has been limited or banned.
Uganda’s attorney general is acting quickly to protect polygamy, after a women’s advocacy group filed a petition earlier this month to have the practice declared unconstitutional.
The attorney general’s office released a statement arguing that polygamy is protected in the Ugandan constitution, which guarantees the Ugandans to practice their culture, religion, and traditions as they see fit. The Daily Monitor reported the story on Feb. 19th.
However, community organization Mifumi Uganda has taken the practice of polygamy to Constitutional Court, arguing that it is sexist that women can only take one spouse, while men can take on more than one partner. Although polygamy is important to the Muslim community in Uganda, female activists cite Muslim countries like Syria and Morocco where polygamy has been limited.
In a related petition, Mifumi is also challenging bride price in Uganda,which they argue is also unconstitutional. The Ugandan constitution honors equality between sexes.
28 percent of Ugandan women are in polygamous marriages, according to a 2006 survey by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, but this number has been declining. Older women are more likely to be in a polygamous relationship than younger women.
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