Gender Victimization: A Study of Widowhood Practices in the Efik Kingdom

Abstract

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This research examines gender victimisation in widowhood customs in the Efik kingdom, highlighting the dehumanising and discriminatory treatment widows experience in Nigeria. Although constitutional and legislative protections exist to uphold widows' rights, entrenched cultural norms continue to impede the full realisation of their constitutionally given freedoms. Traditional societies like Igbo and Akwa Ibom State have discriminatory rituals such as cohabiting with the deceased or ingesting substances to prove innocence. The Efik society, in contrast, has fewer oppressive practices as a result of early interactions with Europeans and Christianity. Widows in traditional Nigerian society often endure marginalisation. This research uses a qualitative analytical approach and historical data gathering techniques such as oral interviews and reviewing primary and secondary sources. The research reveals the many obstacles widows endure, including financial struggles, emotional distress, and socio-economic hardships, via the synthesis and analysis of data from several sources. Ultimately, widowhood customs in the Efik kingdom, like those in other traditional Nigerian communities, maintain economic reliance and infringe upon the honour of widows. The results highlight the pressing need for focused actions to tackle these structural inequities and protect widows' rights to dignity and independence.