Human Rights; Polygamy

Our human rights watch has concluded that there is no one country were human rights are absolute.

However, this will not deter us from doing our work as human rights watch. It is my belief that it is wrong for other countries not to allow people to be in polygamous marriages.

In Africa we still embrace this practice. It is part of our culture and/ or tradition. Others embrace it because of their religious beliefs.

For example, the Jews, Muslims and other Christians. In England it amounts to the crime of bigamy. It carries a seven year prison sentence.

This means that if one enters into another marriage whilst still married to another, then that marriage is void by English law or other jurisdictions that pursue the same kind of law.

This is a breach of human rights of others. We are asking those countries that take polygamous marriages to amount to the crime of bigamy to scrap the crime of bigamy.

If an African man wants to settle in England or other jurisdictions were polygamy is not allowed, then they cannot be allowed to do so with their wives. More recently a man of Jewish religion(Joe Darger) won his case in the USA( my source of the case; France 24) .

As a human rights activist, i believe that that land mark ruling, for that case ,which we can now call an archetypal case ,has set precedent .It has set precedent that will see other countries following parallel behaviour.

Of course, those jurisdictions that embrace the crime of bigamy, will argue that they want to alleviate poverty .

That is by maintaining small families. That is one man one woman. And they can also argue now that they want to control the menacing diseases .

For example, HIV –AIDS. However, if due care is taken by the families, the contacting of this disease can be avoided.

However, this is not a sufficient reason to impede on other people's human rights.