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HARMFUL TRADITIONAL AND CULTURAL PRACTICES IN NIGERIA

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HARMFUL TRADITIONAL AND CULTURAL PRACTICES IN NIGERIA
HARMFUL TRADITIONAL AND CULTURAL PRACTICES IN NIGERIA

Tolulope Monisola OLA (PhD)
Department of Sociology,
Faculty of the Social Sciences,
Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti,
Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Cell phone: +234 8139389466
E-mail: tolulopeola2003@yahoo.co.uk

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Objectives
3. Main Contents
4. Meaning of Harmful Traditional and Cultural Practices in Nigeria
5. Different Types of Harmful Traditional and Cultural Practices in Nigeria
6. Consequences of Harmful Traditional and Cultural Practices
7. Measures to Prevent and Stop Harmful Traditional and Cultural Practices in Nigeria
8. Conclusion
9. References
Objectives
At the end of this unit, the students should be able to:
Explain the meaning of harmful traditional and cultural practices in Nigeria
Describe the different types of harmful traditional and cultural practices in Nigeria.
Discuss the consequences of harmful traditional and cultural practices in Nigeria.
Suggest measures to prevent and eradicate harmful traditional and cultural practices in Nigeria.

Definition of Harmful Traditional and Cultural Practices in Nigeria
Traditional and Cultural Practices in Nigeria reflect values and beliefs held by members of a particular community for periods often spanning generations. Every social grouping in the country and globally has specific traditional and cultural practices and beliefs, some of which are beneficial to all members, while others are harmful to specific group such as women and children. Harmful Traditional and Cultural Practices can be defined as practices that are harmful in nature (“harm” is discussed in terms of health, or expansively, in terms of human rights violation), which persist despite their harmful nature because they are not questioned. It is time honoured and is characterized by custom and routine which is handed down from generation to generation.

In every culture, important practices exist which


References: Arebi, Y. (2007). Nigeria: Female Circumcision: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? The Human Angle, Vanguard Carole Agengo (2009) Harmful Traditional Practices in Europe: Judicial Interventions. Expert Paper Produced for the United Nations for the Expert group Meeting on good Practices in Legislation to address Harmful Practices against Women, United Nations Conference Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25 – 28 May, 2009. Lauren Hersh (1998) Giving up Harmful practices, Not Culture. Available at www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/52/? task = view Norwegian Country of Origin Information, Centre (Landinfo) (3 August 2010) Nigeria. Kjnnslemestelseav kvinner (English: Female Genital Mutilation). UNHCHR, Fact Sheet No. 23, Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children, Available at www.ohchr.org/documents/publications/factsheet 23en.pdf UNICEF (2005). Early Marriage: A harmful traditional Practice: A Statistical Exploration, N.Y, USA. UNFPA (2006). In ending child marriage, A guide for global policy action International Planned Parenthood Federation and the forum on Marriage and the Rights of Women and Girls, U.K.
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