Opinion / Columnist
Bride Price is not body purchase!
30 Mar 2018 at 11:51hrs | Views
The payment of bride price is a common phenomenon that is practiced in most of Africa and some parts of Asia. It is a way of showing appreciation to the parents of the bride for conceiving her as well as for the upkeep. Although it seems as if it's a form of payment in exchange of the bride it is in actual fact, meant as a form of appreciation.
Many of the grooms have a misapprehension of this fact as they treat their brides as if they are some form of property that they own and can do with befittingly.
Most women have been victimized by their husbands as a result of the possession factor. Their whereabouts, body, money and other factors that involve them are supposedly to be under the jurisdiction of man. In line with this, there are numerous men who believe that whenever and however they demand sex from their spouse they should be given simply because they paid the bride price.
Little do they know that sex is something which is consensual be it in a marriage or not as everyone has a right to their body.
Non-consensual sex is rape, be it in a marriage or not and man should be weary of this factor. In most of the African countries sex is regarded as a conjugal right which one acquires upon the payment of bride price hence, the spouse has to be submissive regardless of the fact that she wants to indulge in sex or not.
The terminology for non-consensual sex in a marriage is regarded as marital rape or spousal rape. Women tend to succumb more to marital rape than men in Africa.
As a result of culture and tradition many women tend to keep quiet about this abusive manner as ethos prohibits them to seek legal action.
With regards to Zimbabwe, thousands of women succumb to marital rape on a daily basis but because of culture they tend to keep quiet. The judicial system in much of Africa and its view towards marital rape is almost the same as any form of rape is accompanied by not less than ten years of imprisonment.
Feminist activists such as Dr. Rebecca Chisamba, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie have all commented on the issue of marital rape in which they argue that women are afraid of speaking out as a result of safeguarding their marriages and lack of information about the issue of marital rape.
Many countries throughout Africa have enacted an Act which criminalizes marital rape which makes it crystal clear that there is nothing called a conjugal right.
It should be a wakeup call for man, as the payment of bride price is not equivalent to purchasing a television set as women have a right to their bodies.
Many of the grooms have a misapprehension of this fact as they treat their brides as if they are some form of property that they own and can do with befittingly.
Most women have been victimized by their husbands as a result of the possession factor. Their whereabouts, body, money and other factors that involve them are supposedly to be under the jurisdiction of man. In line with this, there are numerous men who believe that whenever and however they demand sex from their spouse they should be given simply because they paid the bride price.
Little do they know that sex is something which is consensual be it in a marriage or not as everyone has a right to their body.
Non-consensual sex is rape, be it in a marriage or not and man should be weary of this factor. In most of the African countries sex is regarded as a conjugal right which one acquires upon the payment of bride price hence, the spouse has to be submissive regardless of the fact that she wants to indulge in sex or not.
As a result of culture and tradition many women tend to keep quiet about this abusive manner as ethos prohibits them to seek legal action.
With regards to Zimbabwe, thousands of women succumb to marital rape on a daily basis but because of culture they tend to keep quiet. The judicial system in much of Africa and its view towards marital rape is almost the same as any form of rape is accompanied by not less than ten years of imprisonment.
Feminist activists such as Dr. Rebecca Chisamba, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie have all commented on the issue of marital rape in which they argue that women are afraid of speaking out as a result of safeguarding their marriages and lack of information about the issue of marital rape.
Many countries throughout Africa have enacted an Act which criminalizes marital rape which makes it crystal clear that there is nothing called a conjugal right.
It should be a wakeup call for man, as the payment of bride price is not equivalent to purchasing a television set as women have a right to their bodies.
Source - Daniel Itai
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