Abstract
This paper examined the legal appraisal of the inheritance rights of women’s rights under the Act and under the Igbo culture in Nigeria. The Nigerian Constitution and the various international and regional instruments to which the country is a signatory, have guaranteed women certain rights. However, the implementation of these laws and policies has been less than satisfactory. There have been instances of discrimination and violence against women, as well as a lack of access to education and healthcare. Objectives of this paper were to ascertain how the relevant laws have assisted in protecting women against sexual harassment and discrimination; determine the extent to which women’s rights have been violated in the public and private sectors of Nigeria; determine the extent to which women have been protected against sexual harassment and discrimination in the United Kingdom and the Canada; examined the lessons on the legal protection of women against inheritance of property from other jurisdictions. The doctrinal research method was adopted for this paper. The paper found that in Nigeria, women have several legal rights that are enshrined in the Constitution and other laws. There are several key lessons that can be drawn from the experiences of the United Kingdom and Canada in protecting women’s rights and applying them to the Nigerian context. These included the need for a comprehensive legal framework that addresses all aspects of women’s rights, including economic, social, and political rights. Therefore, the paper recommended strengthen the legal framework by enacting laws that explicitly address all aspects of women’s rights, establish an independent body to monitor and enforce the laws, and the government should domesticate all international conventions and treaties relating to female gender. Enhance the enforcement of inheritance laws through effective judicial mechanisms and oversight to ensure equitable distribution of property and assets.
Dimnwobi, Chinaza Vivian, pp 170 – 184
