Women, but treated as sub-humans: Sexually-degrading Widowhood Practices in some Nigerian societies.

Married life is a much desired status in Nigeria for both men and women in Nigeria. However, nothing prepares one for widowhood. Apart from the fact that widows go through considerable amount of emotional and psychological stress, rather than be sympathized with, or even assisted, they are subjected to inhumane sexually-degrading widowhood practices. Such practices include being forced to have sex with the dead body of the deceased partner, being made to take public baths or trips to the market without a blouse, being raped by several men specifically relatives of the deceased, forbidding them to have a sexual partner in specified number of years, restriction from remarriage or being pressed to get married to the relative of the deceased partner among others. Granted that these practices tend to be more entrenched in the rural communities where there are more illiterate and economically dependent widows. This paper attempted to assess sexually-degrading widowhood practices in some Nigerian societies and offers suggestions and recommendations on how to improve protection and support for Nigerian widows which includes the enactment of legislation targeted specifically at the dehumanizing treatment associated with widowhood practices among others.