Traditional Practices and the Social Responsibilities of Indigenous Women Organisations in 21st Century Nigeria

Abstract

Some African traditional practices are inimical to the rights and status of the women folk as free-born in the society. Some of these traditional practices have lingered. Although there exist Pre-contact indigenous women organisations, which were formed mainly to protect the interest of women, a great number of these obnoxious practices are still being perpetrated unchecked, even in 21st-century Nigeria. The pertinent question this paper seeks to address is why these practices still exist despite the economic, psychological and psycho-social effects they bring upon the development of women. The paper utilised both primary and secondary sources. The case studies were based on selected communities in Nigeria. The paper argues that the continuous perpetration of these practices on women, which is a blatant disregard for human dignity and poses a serious threat to women's development, is due to the inability of these indigenous women's organisations to enforce their social responsibility roles. The paper recommends that to ensure substantial contributions by women to the sustainable development of the nation at large, certain debilitating traditional practices against women should be eradicated so that they can explore their full potential.