The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
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Latest items for POLY-LAW-3

Jan. 6, 2022, 12:09 p.m.
Countries: Somalia
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"If it is in the marriage contract and he agrees to it, yes she has the right to restrict her husband from marrying multiple women. However, if it is not in the marriage contract, he is allowed up to four wives. In my opinion, Somali women rarely request this type of marriage contract" (1).
Feb. 1, 2020, 10:29 a.m.
Countries: Gambia
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3, POLY-LAW-2, POLY-LAW-3

"Marriages often were arranged and, depending on the ethnic group, polygyny was practiced. Women in polygynous unions had property and other rights arising from the marriage. They also had the option to divorce, but no legal right to disapprove or be notified in advance of subsequent marriages" (para 105)
March 7, 2019, 11:23 a.m.
Countries: Mauritania
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Government awareness programs encouraged women to obtain a contractual agreement at the time of marriage stipulating the marriage will end if the husband marries a second wife. This practice was common in Moor (Arab) society. Women who did not establish a solid contract remained unprotected. Moreover, government authorities did not always respect either the validity of such prenuptial agreements or the right to establish them" (page 19).
Oct. 26, 2018, 8:42 a.m.
Countries: Senegal
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3, PW-LAW-1, POLY-LAW-3

"The law requires a woman’s approval of a polygynous union, but once in such a union, a woman needed neither to be notified nor to give prior consent if the man took another wife" (page 16).
Aug. 30, 2016, 10:48 a.m.
Countries: Mali
Variables: PW-LAW-1, POLY-LAW-3

"Article 307. Marriage may be contracted: Either under monogamy, in which case a husband cannot contract a second marriage before the dissolution of the first. However, a man who has opted for a monogamous marriage shall have the right to revise his option with the express consent of his wife. Or under polygamy, in which case it is necessary that the wife consents and a man shall not be married simultaneously to more than four wives" (para 1)
Aug. 24, 2016, 7:53 p.m.
Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Barakzai, a parliamentarian the past decade, has campaigned against the practice of Afghan men marrying multiple wives - her husband, who runs an oil company, took a second wife without consulting her"(para 12)
March 24, 2016, 9:50 p.m.
Countries: Bangladesh
Variables: PW-LAW-1, POLY-LAW-3

"Polygamy and civil polygamous marriages are legal in Bangladesh...Certain cities have also placed hefty taxes on the practice of polygamy, with the tax increasing per each new wife the man takes. A Bangladeshi Muslim man can marry up to four wives at the same time subject to the permission of his existing wives. There is no known limit for the number of wives a Hindu man can take in Bangladesh" (1)
Aug. 12, 2015, 4:07 p.m.
Countries: Iraq
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"The wife shall have exclusive right to file a suit for separation in the following cases . . . If the husband marries a second wife without the permission of the court (art. 40.5)" (61)
July 31, 2015, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Iraq
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"The wife shall have exclusive right to file a suit for separation in the following cases . . . If the husband marries a second wife without the permission of the court (art. 40.5)" (61)
April 29, 2015, 10:01 a.m.
Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Women do not have the right to prevent husband from having multiple wives" (para 2)
Nov. 14, 2014, 11:51 a.m.
Countries: Iran
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

“One day he asked for my permission to marry again. I said no but he said I should let him. After a lot of abuse, I was forced to go along with it.” This excerpt occurs at 9:18 and is stated by Farang, the first wife (Coder Comment-SPS). “A real woman wouldn’t have let Heda take more wives. It’s not my fault she was weak.” This excerpt occurs at 9:05 and is stated by one of four wives to husband, Heda, in a polygamous marriage (Coder Comment-SPS). “One day he asked for my permission to marry again. I said no but he said I should let him. After a lot...more
Aug. 24, 2014, 1:23 a.m.
Countries: Malaysia
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

“According to Penang Religious Department director Datuk Sazali Hussein, if Penang men (Muslim) no longer need to seek permission from their first wives in order to take another bride, they are then able to ‘help curb the problem of unmarried women’. This statement was made in response to a suggestion by a reader in Utusan Malaysia (October 18) that conditions for polygamy be eased or relaxed in order to help women of an advanced age who are still unmarried. There are two assumptions embedded in this short and vague statement: (1) unmarried women of advanced age are posing a problem; and (2) that this problem can be alleviated if these...more
June 24, 2014, 2:04 p.m.
Countries: Syria
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Syria: A judge’s permission is required; polygynous marriage but may be refused unless the husband establishes lawful cause and financial capacity" (14).
June 24, 2014, 2:04 p.m.
Countries: Pakistan
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Pakistan. Under the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance (MFLO), polygyny is restricted, and a man is given permission to marry again only under specific circumstances and after following specific procedures. For instance, it requires that a husband obtain the written permission of the local government authorities (of the existing wife’s residence, not the husband’s) to contract a polygynous marriage. The husband has to satisfy the Union Council that he has obtained the prior wife or wives consent. The proposed new union must be 'just and necessary', determined to be so on the basis of the current wife’s physical or mental condition. The Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act (DMMA) of 1939 allows...more
June 24, 2014, 2:04 p.m.
Countries: Morocco
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Morocco: Allows up to four wives, subject to judicial approval; women may prohibit polygyny in marriage contract; all parties must be informed; prior wife may apply for divorce" (14).
June 24, 2014, 2:04 p.m.
Countries: Malaysia
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Malaysia. Contracting a polygynous marriage requires the permission of a shariah court. A husband must justify in writing why the additional marriage is necessary and just (reasons may include existing wife’s sterility, physical infirmity, or insanity); must provide details of his income and financial obligations; and must convince the court that he can treat all wives equally. Failure to follow required procedures is liable to 6 months’ imprisonment and a fine" (13). "Malaysia: Entering a polygynous marriage requires the permission of a Shariah court. Husband must justify in writing why the marriage is necessary and just. Failure to follow required procedures is liable to 6 months’ imprisonment and a fine”...more
June 24, 2014, 2:04 p.m.
Countries: Jordan
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Jordan: No constraints aside from the classical injunctions that a man must treat all co-wives equitably and provide them with separate dwellings" (14).
June 24, 2014, 2:04 p.m.
Countries: Indonesia
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Indonesia. A 1983 policy requires that public servants and members of the armed forces request permission from their superiors, in addition to the regular permission procedures for polygyny. Under a 1990 policy, women public servants are ineligible to become second, third, or fourth wives. Polygyny is permitted only through an application to the court and requires approval of the prior wife or wives, a necessity for the marriage (current wife suffers from an incurable disease or is infertile, etc.), and a guarantee that husband will treat all wives and children justly" (14). "Indonesia: Basis of marriage is considered monogamy, but Marriage Law does not prohibit polygyny for those whose religions...more
June 24, 2014, 2:04 p.m.
Countries: Egypt
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Egypt Allows up to four wives; must inform prior wives, who may divorce if they can prove harm from additional marriage" (14).
June 24, 2014, 2:04 p.m.
Countries: Algeria
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Algeria: Allows up to four wives; current wives may sue for divorce if not informed" (14).
May 25, 2014, 3:48 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

The bill initially allowed the first wife the right to veto the husband's choice of additional spouses. Male members of parliament successfully pushed to get that clause dropped (para 4). "'What we are not happy about is that now a man can marry another wife or wives without the consent of the first wife,' she said. 'That section of the law is potentially open to abuse because a man can secretly marry other wives because he doesn't need his wife's consent to marry'" (para 13)
Feb. 21, 2014, 8:31 p.m.
Countries: Mali
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"The husband must obtain the permission of the first wife before he marries again, although the authors of the 2004 report to the CEDAW committee remarked that this consent is often obtained through coercion and abuse [24]" (para 4)
Feb. 20, 2014, 3:47 p.m.
Countries: Algeria
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Polygamy is legal in Algeria according to the Family Code, under which it appears men can take up to four wives.[28] However, legislative changes introduced in 2005[29] make it quite difficult for a man to take a second wife, as he must obtain the consent of both the first and the proposed second wife, and make an application to the Family Court for permission [30]" (para 6)
March 2, 2013, 6:36 p.m.
Countries: Mali
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

“In addition, if the type of marriage was not specified on the marriage certificate, judges presumed the marriage was polygynous” (14)
Feb. 27, 2013, 10:13 a.m.
Countries: France
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"There was easy access to contraception, skilled attendance during childbirth, and women were diagnosed and treated for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, equally with men" (19)
Oct. 29, 2012, 5:09 p.m.
Countries: Bangladesh
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Mehbooba struggled her whole life due to inadequate Muslim family laws. Her father remarried without telling her mother, and abandoned them. As a result, Mehbooba spent much of her childhood as a domestic worker. Her mother was too poor to raise her alone. Mehbooba's employer married her off at puberty to a much older man, whom she later discovered was already married. His first wife was horrified to see the new bride -- she had not consented to the remarriage" (5). "None of the 40 women had given informed consent to be in a polygamous marriage or experienced local government arbitration council reviews as required under the Muslim Family Laws...more
Sept. 3, 2012, 9:42 a.m.
Countries: Algeria
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

“The family code affirms the Islamic practice of allowing a man to marry as many as four wives. According to the family code, polygamy is only permitted upon the permission of the first wife and the determination of a judge as to the husband’s financial ability to support an additional wife. In practice, however, this occurred in 1 to 2 percent of marriages” (22)
March 20, 2012, 9:56 p.m.
Countries: Lesotho
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Polygamy is an acceptable cultural practice in Lesotho. However, it is now very rarely practiced. In the rare event that polygamy occurs, Customary Law sanctions and regulates polygamy. It requires that for a man to engage in a polygamous marriage, the consultation of the first married wife is a prerequisite. However, many women are not aware of their right to have such subsequent unions annulled where consultation was not sought. Public education in this regard needs to be stepped up resources and capacity permitting" (28)
June 10, 2011, 8:29 a.m.
Countries: Tajikistan
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Her legal situation is weak - like many women in Tajikistan these days, she went through the Muslim wedding rite without registering the marriage with the state authorities, so is not technically married in the eyes of the law. Her husband has also taken a second wife using the same rite" (para 21)
June 10, 2011, 8:25 a.m.
Countries: Tajikistan
Variables: POLY-LAW-3

"Her legal situation is weak - like many women in Tajikistan these days, she went through the Muslim wedding rite without registering the marriage with the state authorities, so is not technically married in the eyes of the law. Her husband has also taken a second wife using the same rite" (para 21)