ABSTRACT

This chapter highlights some of the human rights and gender issues raised by the traditional and religious system of trokosi found among some ethnic groups in West Africa. It addresses two issues: the human rights and gender issues that emerge from the trokosi system. The human rights concerns revolve around the relativism-universalism debate in the literature on human rights in Africa with the central question being how best to approach the implementation of international human rights norms in other cultures such as Africa. The chapter reviews that since African societies do not have a culture of fighting for their rights through the courts, a legal approach would not be an effective means for achieving respect for the individuality of the African woman. In addition, most African women are not even aware of the existence of legal provisions that protect their rights; even if they are, they do not have the resources to pursue a legal challenge in the courts.