It is not easy to be born a woman in Burkina Faso. In this patriarchal society, women are usually kept out of any decisional process and maintained under the guardianship of men. This lack of power over their own destinies can lead to violence. This is what NGO Oxfam-Québec, with the support of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), is trying to prevent.

A Burkinan and woman and her child Photo : Philippe Massé

In 2006, the UN gave Burkina Faso the 174th place among 177 countries according to the Human Development Index. If the situation is very difficult for men, it is even worse for women who are taught at a very early that they are subordinate to men.

Women generally accomplish a great number of unpaid daily tasks, and have no decisional power over the children they give birth to or over their husband's possessions. Furthermore, women generally are not allowed to make decisions regarding their own health, and even less so if expenses are involved. The limited access to financial resources, the very low literacy rate among women (15%, compared to 29% for men), and traditional practices that are detrimental or that disrespect the fundamental rights of women mean that women literally live under the guardianship of men, whether they are their father, their husband, or their brother.

In Burkina Faso, there are various types of legal systems: traditional law, Muslim law and civil law. This coexistence leads to contradictory laws and to numerous violations of the fundamental rights of women, such as excision, early marriages, and various forms of arranged marriages.

“For example, Muslim law and traditional law recognize levirate marriages. This form of marriage occurs when the husband dies and the wife is given to his brother, since once the woman is married she belongs to her husband's family. There are also sororate marriages, when the wife dies and her sister is given in marriage to the husband”, explains Mylène Bigaouette, a counselor on gender equality for Oxfam-Québec in Burkina Faso.

Awareness and Legal Support
Oxfam-Québec does not directly intervene with the population of Burkina Faso, especially regarding changing traditional practices. The reason is simple: any attempt is met with great resistance, in particular when coming from Westerners. The NGO rather supports national organizations that want to reinforce their resources. In the legal field, Oxfam-Québec's partners organize numerous awareness activities, information sessions on rights provided by jurists and provide accompaniment to women who take legal action.

“We often see inheritance disputes. According to traditional law, everything belongs to the man, and thus to his family (parents, brothers, sisters, and children) after his death. Under civil law, however, his wife can inherit some possessions. Families often reject this right and recuperate all of the man's possessions if the wife refuses to marry her dead husband's brother. In such cases, the woman generally also loses her children, who are considered as belonging to the man," says Ms. Bigaouette.

Forced Marriages and Excision
Since levirate and sororate marriages are allowed under traditional and Muslim law, jurists can do nothing to prevent them under civil law. Oxfam-Québec, however, with the help of its partners, is trying to raise awareness.

“We work with, among others, Pugsada, the support and awakening association that goes to schools to reach out to youths and their parents regarding early marriage, forced marriage, sexual health, and sexual harassment in the school environment. The organization also helps young girls who come from underprivileged families, who are orphans, or who fled their families for various reasons. It also helps them go to school or to the literacy centre or even to learn a trade,” says Ms. Bagouette.

In Burkina Faso, one cannot speak about sexual health without speaking of excision. A national law forbids this mutilation, and, although it is widely respected, excision is still practiced in secret or in a neighbouring, more lax country. The support and awakening association Pugsada and the World March of Women organization, another Oxfam-Québec partner, are very active on the excision awareness issue.

“Furthermore, thanks to the National Committee against the practice of excision, a state organization, any person who witnesses or is aware that an excision will occur can dial a toll free telephone number to alert the Committee. It will either get involved or send the police. Articles are regularly published in the newspaper, reporting the arrest of excision practitioners following information obtained through the dedicated phone line”, Ms. Bagouette is happy to report.

Taboos Are Slowly Giving Way
In fighting violence against women in Burkina Faso, Oxfam-Québec must take various realities into account: traditions, religion, the economic situation of women, their limited access to education and information. Patience is required when looking for genuine behavior modification, but Mylène Bigaouette has seen progress since her arrival in 2001.

Article traduit par: Hélène Jutras