Legality of polygamy
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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" />
Template:Bulleted list Polygamy is legal only for Muslims
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> Polygamy is legal
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> Polygamy is legal in some regions (Indonesia)
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> Polygamy is illegal, but not criminalised in practice
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> Polygamy is illegal and criminalised in practice
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> Legal status unknown
The legal status of polygamy varies widely around the world. Polygamy is legal in 58 out of nearly 200 sovereign states, the vast majority of them being Muslim-majority countries. Some countries that permit polygamy have restrictions, such as requiring the first wife to give her consent.
In countries that ban polygamy, the offence is commonly called bigamy, though the penalty varies between jurisdictions. In some countries where polygamy is illegal, the prohibition is not enforced.
Countries that recognize polygamous marriages
Africa
- Template:Flagdeco Algeria[1]
- Template:Flagdeco Cameroon[2]
- Template:Flagdeco Chad[3]
- Template:Flagdeco Central African Republic[4]
- Template:Flagdeco Comoros [i]
- Template:Flagdeco Republic of the Congo[5]
- Template:Flagdeco Djibouti[6]
- Template:Flagdeco Egypt[7]
- Template:Flagdeco Eswatini[8]
- Template:Flagdeco Gabon:[9] Both men and women can join in polygamous marriage with the other gender under Gabonese law. In practice, the right to multiple spouses is reserved for men only.[10]
- Template:Flagdeco The Gambia[11]
- Template:Flagdeco Guinea[12]
- Template:Flagdeco Guinea-Bissau [i]
- Template:Flagdeco Libya[13][14][15]
- Template:Flagdeco Kenya: Polygamy legal under legislation passed in 2014.[16]
- Template:Flagdeco Mali[17]
- Template:Flagdeco Mauritania[18]
- Template:Flagdeco Morocco[19]
- Template:Flagdeco Nigeria (only in some states)[20]
- Template:Flagdeco São Tomé and Príncipe[21]
- Template:Flagdeco Senegal[22]
- Template:Flagdeco Somalia[23]
- Template:Flagdeco Somaliland[24]
- Template:Flagdeco South Sudan[25]
- Template:Flagdeco South Africa is recognized for customary marriages. The Supreme Court also ruled that Muslim marriages performed under Sharia law are valid.[26][27][28]
- Template:Flagdeco Sudan[29]
- Template:Flagdeco Togo[30]
- Template:Flagdeco Tanzania[31]
- Template:Flagdeco Uganda[32]
- Template:Flagdeco Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
- Template:Flagdeco Zambia[33]
Asia
- Template:Flagdeco Afghanistan[34]
- Template:Flagdeco Bahrain[35]
- Template:Flagdeco Bangladesh[36]
- Template:Flagdeco Bhutan[37][38]
- Template:Flagdeco Brunei[39]
- Template:Flagdeco Indonesia (except for in the provinces of Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, and West Papua) Script error: No such module "Unsubst".[40]Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- Template:Flagdeco Iran[41]
- Template:Flagdeco Iraq (except for in Iraqi Kurdistan)[42]
- Template:Flagdeco Jordan[43]
- Template:Flagdeco Kuwait[44]
- Template:Flagdeco Maldives[45]
- Template:Flagdeco Oman[46]
- Template:Flagdeco Qatar[47]
- Template:Flagdeco Palestine[48]
- Template:Flagdeco Saudi Arabia[49]
- Template:Flagdeco Syria (except in Syrian Kurdistan)[50]
- Template:Flagdeco United Arab Emirates[51]
- Template:Flagdeco Yemen[52]
Oceania
- Template:Flagdeco Solomon Islands[53]
Countries that only recognize polygamous marriages for Muslims
Note: These countries are included separately because they have specific legislation aimed only at Muslims.
Asia
- Template:Flagdeco Malaysia[54]
- Template:Flagdeco Philippines, only for "exceptional cases" even among Muslims where a man could provide for his wives with equal companionship.[55][56][57]
- Template:Flagdeco Sri LankaScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
- Template:Flagdeco Lebanon[58]
- Template:Flagdeco Pakistan[59]
- Template:Flagdeco Singapore
- Template:Flagdeco India[60]
Countries that only recognize polygamous marriages under customary law
Asia
Template:Flagdeco India (for Muslims[60] and in Goa[61])
Africa
- Template:Flagdeco Botswana[62]
- Template:Flagdeco Lesotho[63]
- Template:Flagdeco Liberia[64]
- Template:Flagdeco Malawi[65]
- Template:Flagdeco Namibia[66]
- Template:Flagdeco Niger[67]
- Template:Flagdeco Nigeria (only in some states):[68] Recognized in all northern Sharia states
- Template:Flagdeco Sierra Leone[69]
- Template:Flagdeco Zimbabwe[70]
Countries that do not recognize polygamous marriages
Africa
Polygamy is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent, being most common in a region known as the "polygamy belt" in West Africa and Central Africa, with the countries estimated to have the highest polygamy prevalence in the world being Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia, Niger and Nigeria.[71] In the region of sub-Saharan Africa, polygyny is common and deeply rooted in the culture, with 11% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa living in such marriages (25% of the Muslim population and 3% of the Christian population, as of 2019).[72] Polygamous marriages occur, regardless of legality, as the practice is deeply rooted in culture and often supported by Islam in Africa.
- Template:Flagdeco Angola[73]
- Template:Flagdeco Benin[74]
- Template:Flagdeco Burkina Faso[75]
- Template:Flagdeco Burundi[76]
- Template:Flagdeco Cabo Verde[77]
- Template:Flagdeco Democratic Republic of the Congo[78]
- Template:Flagdeco Côte d'Ivoire: Polygamy may be punishable by six months to three years imprisonment, or a fine of CFA 50,000 to CFA 500,000 (US$80 to US$800).[79]
- Template:Flagdeco Eritrea: Illegal since 1977, after 2015 polygamy is punishable with "a definite term of imprisonment of not less than 6 months and not more than 12 months, or a fine of 20,001 – 50,000 Nakfas."[80]
- Template:Flagdeco Equatorial Guinea[81][82][83]
- Template:Flagdeco Ghana[84][85]
- Template:Flagdeco Ethiopia[86][87]
- Template:Flagdeco Madagascar[88]
- Template:Flagdeco Mauritius
- Template:Flagdeco Mayotte (French territory) (not criminalized): Considered to be de facto illegal since a referendum sponsored by France in March 2009, forcing the island to comply with the French laws.[89][90] However, pre-existing Muslim marriages are currently still valid.
- Template:Flagdeco Mozambique[91]
- Template:Flagdeco Rwanda[92]
- Template:Flagdeco Seychelles
- Template:Flagdeco Tunisia: Polygamy has been banned and criminalized since 1956[93] according to Article 18 of the Code of Personal Status and punishable by one year's imprisonment.
Americas
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- Template:Flagdeco Antigua and Barbuda
- Template:Flagdeco Argentina
- Template:Flagdeco Bahamas
- Template:Flagdeco Barbados
- Template:Flagdeco Belize
- Template:Flagdeco Bolivia
- Template:Flagdeco Brazil: Bigamy is illegal. The marriage of a single individual to more than one other person is prohibited by law as bigamy, which is punishable by two to six years of imprisonment,[94] and is valid for every Brazilian citizen, including naturalized ones. De facto polygamy is not outlawed.
- Template:Flagdeco Canada: All forms of polygamy, and some informal multiple sexual relationships, are illegal under section 293 of the Criminal Code.[95] Bigamy is banned by section 290.[96] However, as of January 2009, no person has been successfully prosecuted, i.e. convicted, in over sixty years.[97] In 2009, two acquittals on polygamy charges, arising out of the town of Bountiful, British Columbia, prompted the government of British Columbia to pose a reference question to the Supreme Court of British Columbia (i.e., the superior trial court). The reference questions asked if the criminalisation of polygamy was consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and, if so, under what circumstances could people be legally punished for polygamy.[98] In November 2011 the court released its 335-page long decision, which was that the criminal offence of polygamy is indeed constitutional, but that it should not be used to prosecute minors for having taken part in a polygamous marriage.[99] Chief Justice Robert J. Bauman conceded that there is a conflict between this law and some civil rights principles, but stated that there are other and "more important" issues which in this case take precedence. He wrote (as quoted by CBC News[99]): "I have concluded that this case is essentially about harm. More specifically, Parliament's reasoned apprehension of harm arising out of the practice of polygamy. This includes harm to women, to children, to society and the institution of monogamous marriage." Bauman argued that there are cases where the "wives" (who may be rather young; sometimes as young as 12 years) are abducted and abused, but because they believe in faith-promoting polygamy, they are not willing to bring complaints to the authorities. He reasoned that these offences sometimes may be stopped by applying anti-polygamy legislation. The decision was welcomed by the Attorney General of British Columbia, and by a representative for the group Stop Polygamy in Canada. Likewise, according to CBC News,[99] some polyamorous groups in Canada expressed their relief since Bauman had stated that the law shouldn't apply to them unless they decide to formalize their unions. Women's rights were central to the decision.[99]
- Template:Flagdeco Chile
- Template:Flagdeco Colombia
- Template:Flagdeco Costa Rica
- Template:Flagdeco Cuba
- Template:Flagdeco Dominica
- Template:Flagdeco Dominican Republic
- Template:Flagdeco Ecuador
- Template:Flagdeco El Salvador
- Template:Flagdeco Grenada
- Template:Flagdeco Guatemala
- Template:Flagdeco Guyana
- Template:Flagdeco Haiti
- Template:Flagdeco Honduras
- Template:Flagdeco Jamaica
- Template:Flagdeco Mexico
- Template:Flagdeco Nicaragua
- Template:Flagdeco Panama
- Template:Flagdeco Paraguay
- Template:Flagdeco Peru
- Template:Flagdeco St. Kitts and Nevis
- Template:Flagdeco St. Lucia
- Template:Flagdeco St. Vincent and The Grenadines
- Template:Flagdeco Suriname
- Template:Flagdeco Trinidad and Tobago
Infraction
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> Misdemeanor
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> Felony
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" /> All forms of cohabitation outlawed
- Template:Flagdeco United States: Polygamy is illegal in all 50 states,[100] De facto polygamy is illegal under federal law, the Edmunds Act. Utah, in February 2020, reduced polygamy to the status of a traffic ticket;[101][102] nevertheless recognizing that polygamous unions are illegal under the Constitution of Utah.[103] Polygamy is illegal federally according to the Edmunds Act.
Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". - Template:Flagdeco Uruguay
- Template:Flagdeco Venezuela
Asia
As in Africa, polygamy continues to be practiced in parts of Asia, regardless of laws.
- Template:Flagdeco Nepal
- Template:Flagdeco China: Polygamy is illegal under the Civil code passed in 2020, which replaced a similar 1950 and 1980 prohibition.[104]
- Template:Flagdeco Hong Kong: Polygamy ended with the passing of the Marriage Act of 1971[105] when the country was a crown colony under the former flag Template:Flagdeco. Previous unions entered into under customary law are recognised in some situations.
- Template:Flagdeco Israel: Polygamy has been banned for all confessional communities since at least 1959.[106] Polygamy was criminalized in 1977, but the law is not consistently enforced and polygamy is still practiced by Negev Bedouins.[107]
- Template:Flagdeco Japan
- Template:Flagdeco Kazakhstan: Polygamous marriages are not recognized, but the practice is decriminalized, with Kazakhstan being the only Central Asian country to have decriminalized the practice (in 1998, when the new criminal code no longer provided for such an offense).[108]
- Template:Flagdeco Kyrgyzstan
- Template:Flagdeco Mongolia
- Template:Flagdeco Myanmar[109][110]
- Template:Flagdeco North Korea
- Template:Flagdeco South Korea
- Template:Flagdeco Taiwan (Polygamy is illegal Template:Clarify span)[111]
- Template:Flagdeco Tajikistan
- Template:Flagdeco Turkey (Polygamy was criminalized in 1926 with the adoption of the Turkish Civil Code, part of Atatürk's secularist reforms. Penalties for polygamy are imprisonment of up to 5 years.)[112] Turkey has long been known for its promotion of secularism,[113][114][115] and has introduced measures establishing stricter bars against polygamy; these were passed by the ruling moderate Islamist AK Party as well. In March 2009, AK Parti effectively banned polygamists from entering or living in the country.[116]
- Template:Flagdeco Turkmenistan
- Template:Flagdeco Uzbekistan: Religious authorities who perform a marriage ceremony for couples without a civil marriage license face fines of up to 9,900,000 so'm. Additionally, propagandizing or encouraging cohabitation with two or more wives is punishable by a fine of the same amount, or administrative detention for up to 15 days.[117]
- Template:Flagdeco Vietnam
- Template:Flagdeco Cambodia[118]
- Template:Flagdeco Laos
- Template:Flagdeco Russia: Polygamous marriages are not recognized in the Russian Federation. The Family Code of Russia states that a marriage can only be contracted between a man and a woman, neither of whom is married to someone else.[119] Furthermore, Russia does not recognize polygamous marriages that had been contracted in other countries.[120] However, neither bigamy nor de facto polygamy are criminalized.[121]
- Template:Flagdeco Thailand[122]
- Template:Flagdeco Timor-Leste[123]
Europe
- Template:Flagdeco Albania
- Template:Flagdeco Armenia
- Template:Flagdeco Andorra
- Template:Flagdeco Azerbaijan
- Template:Flagdeco Belarus
- Template:Flagdeco Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Template:Flagdeco European Union: Polygamy is illegal in all 27 states. In Bulgaria, polygamy is illegal and punishable with up to three years imprisonment.[124] In Finland, the official prosecutor is obliged to take all cases to a court where more than two persons are married to each other and such relationships cease to exist after the court has decided it.[125] Polygamic marriages performed abroad may be recognized only on narrow occasions, for instance in child custody matters.[126] In France, polygamy is illegal under Article 433-20 of the Penal Code and punishable by one year's imprisonment and a fine of €45,000.[127] In Germany, polygamy is illegal, legally punishable with fine or prison time up to three years.[128] Polygamous marriages contracted abroad are legal, however, the German authorities announced plans to close this legal loophole by making it a barrier to naturalization.[129] In Ireland,[130] the Catholic Church in Ireland allowed someone with a church annulment but no civil annulment to remarry in church; such a marriage was legally null and bigamous but no prosecutions were brought.[131][132] The practice ended after the 1996 legalisation of divorce.[131] In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that if someone had two legal marriages abroad, only the first was legal in Ireland, though 'that did not necessarily mean [the second] marriage "can never have legal consequences [in Ireland]"'.[133] In the Netherlands, a marriage between more than two individuals is prohibited; however, a samenlevingscontract may include more than two partners. It legally accepts immigrants who are in such a union from a country where it is legal; e.g. if a man with two wives immigrates to The Netherlands, all three will be legally recognized.[134] In Romania, bigamy, defined as marriage conducted by a person who is already married, is punishable by up to 2 years in prison or fine. Knowingly marrying a married person is punishable by up to 1 year in prison or by fine.[135] In Sweden, a person who is already married is not permitted to enter into another marriage. In the past, Sweden generally recognized polygamous marriages performed abroad.[136][137][138] However, the Swedish government decided to task an inquiry chair with reviewing how to prevent recognition of foreign polygamous marriages in Sweden; Deputy Minister for Justice, Heléne Fritzon stating that "Polygamous marriages should not be recognised in Sweden and we need to review the existing legal loophole that makes it possible. Polygamous marriages undermine gender equality and, according to the UN, it can have serious emotional and financial consequences".[139] Since 2021, Sweden no longer recognizes foreign polygamous marriages, save in exceptional circumstances.[140]
- Template:Flagdeco Georgia
- Template:Flagdeco Iceland
- Template:Flagdeco Kosovo
- Template:Flagdeco Liechtenstein
- Template:Flagdeco Moldova
- Template:Flagdeco Monaco
- Template:Flagdeco Montenegro
- Template:Flagdeco North Macedonia
- Template:Flagdeco Norway
- Template:Flagdeco Russia: Polygamous marriages are not recognized in Russia. The Family Code of Russia states that a marriage can only be contracted between a man and a woman, neither of whom is married to someone else.[119] Furthermore, Russia does not recognize polygamous marriages that had been contracted in other countries.[120] However, neither bigamy nor de facto polygamy are criminalized.[121]
- Template:Flagdeco San Marino
- Template:Flagdeco Serbia
- Template:Flagdeco Switzerland: Polygamy is illegal by law. But polygamous marriage conducted in another country may be accepted or rejected on a case-by-case basis.[141]
- Template:Flagdeco Turkey
- Template:Flagdeco Ukraine
- Template:Flagdeco United Kingdom: Foreign polygamous marriages grant some welfare benefits only, but this is being phased out with the introduction of Universal Credit.[142] Polygamy is treated as bigamy if a second marriage (or civil partnership) is contracted in the United Kingdom. No legal recognition is extended to spouses of subsequent marriages after the first marriage is recognised even when subsequent marriages are contracted abroad.
- Template:Flagdeco Vatican City (Holy See)
Oceania
- Template:Flagdeco Australia: Polygamous marriages cannot be performed in Australia, but polygamous relationships are still common within some indigenous Australian communities.[143][144] Polygamous marriages entered into abroad are recognised for limited purposesScript error: No such module "Unsubst". only.[145]
- Template:Flagdeco Fiji
- Template:Flagdeco Kiribati
- Template:Flagdeco Marshall Islands
- Template:Flagdeco Micronesia
- Template:Flagdeco Nauru
- Template:Flagdeco New Zealand: Polygamous marriages cannot be performed in New Zealand, but are permissible if they are legally performed in a country that permits polygamy.
- Template:Flagdeco Palau
- Template:Flagdeco Papua New Guinea
- Template:Flagdeco Samoa
- Template:Flagdeco Tonga
- Template:Flagdeco Tuvalu
- Template:Flagdeco Vanuatu
Current legislation
In most countries, a person who marries a person while still being lawfully married to another commits bigamy, a criminal offence, though penalties vary between jurisdictions. Besides, the second and subsequent marriages are considered legally null and void.
The United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand permit some benefits for spouses of polygamous marriages performed abroad. In the past, Sweden used to recognize polygamous marriages performed abroad; but since 2021, Sweden no longer recognizes such marriages, save in exceptional circumstances.[140] In Switzerland polygamous marriages conducted abroad may be accepted or rejected on a case-by-case basis;[146] see § Europe.
In Canada, both bigamy (article 290 of the Criminal code of Canada)[147]) and de facto polygamy (article 293 of the Criminal Code) [148] are illegal, but there are provisions in the property law of at least the Canadian province of Saskatchewan that consider the possibility of de facto multiple marriage-like situations (e.g. if an already married person enters into a second common-law relationship situation without first obtaining a legal divorce from their existing spouse).[149]Template:Better source
The vast majority of sovereign states with a Muslim-majority population recognize polygamous marriages: these states span from the West Africa to Southeast Asia, with the exceptions of Turkey, Tunisia, Albania, Kosovo and Central Asian countries.[150][151][152][153]
Predominantly Christian nations usually do not allow polygamy, with a handful of exceptions such as the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia.
Almost a dozen countries that do not permit polygamous civil marriages recognize polygamous marriages under customary law. All the northern states in Nigeria governed by Islamic Sharia law recognize polygamous marriages. The autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland in northern Somalia also recognize polygamy, as does the country's Transitional Federal Government itself, since the country is governed by Sharia law. The recently independent country of Southern Sudan also recognizes polygamy.
Polyandry is de facto the norm in rural areas of Tibet, although it is illegal under Chinese family law. Polygamy continues in Bhutan[38] in various forms as it has since ancient times. It is also found in parts of Nepal,[154] despite its formal illegality in the country.[155]
Debates of legalizing polygamous marriages continue in Central Asian countries.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
International law
In 2000, the United Nations Human Rights Committee reported that polygamy violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), citing concerns that the lack of "equality of treatment with regard to the right to marry" meant that polygamy, restricted to polygyny in practice, violates the dignity of women and should be outlawed.[156] Specifically, the reports to UN Committees have noted violations of the ICCPR due to these inequalities[157] and reports to the General Assembly of the UN have recommended it be outlawed.[158][159]
Some countries where polygamy is legal are not signatories of ICCPR, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, Brunei and South Sudan; so that ICCPR does not apply to these countries.[160] It has been argued by the Department of Justice of Canada that polygyny is a violation of international human rights law.[161]
Notable legislation
The tables below cover recent pieces of legislation that have been either debated, proposed or voted on; all of which concerns a form of polygamous union.
To permit polygamy
| Country | Date | Polygamous union | Upper House | Lower House | Head of State | Final outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | |||||
| Template:Flagdeco Iraq | 1963 | Polygamous civil marriage (revoke of prohibitions)[162] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Philippines | February 1977 | Polygamous civil marriage (Muslims only)[163] | - | - | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco United Kingdom | 1987 or earlier | Foreign marriages may receive benefits payments, being phased out[142] | ||||||
| Template:Flagdeco Malawi | 1994 | Customary law (recognizes polygamous unions)[164] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Libya | 1998 | Polygamous civil marriage [165] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco South Africa | 1998 | Customary marriage (civil recognition)[166] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Namibia | 2003 | Customary law (recognizes polygamous unions)[167] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Namibia | 2004 | Pension benefits to wives of a deceased president[168] | - | Failed | - | No No | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Uganda | 2005 | Polygamous civil marriage (easing of laws; plus restrictions) | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Kyrgyzstan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage[169] | Failed | - | - | - | No No | |
| Template:Flagdeco Kazakhstan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage[169] | Failed | - | - | - | No No | |
| Template:Flagdeco Uzbekistan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage | Failed | - | - | - | No No | |
| Template:Flagdeco Tajikistan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage | Failed | - | - | - | No No | |
| Template:Flagdeco Turkmenistan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage | Failed | - | - | - | No No | |
| Template:Flagdeco Kazakhstan | June 2008 | Polygamous civil marriage[170] | Failed | - | - | - | No No | |
| Template:Flagdeco Iran | September 2008 | Polygamous civil marriage (easing of laws)[171] | Failed | - | - | - | No No | |
| Template:Flagdeco Namibia | July 2009 | Polygamous civil marriage[172] | Proposed | - | - | - | - | |
| Template:Flagdeco Russia | 2009 | Polygamous civil marriage | Proposed | - | - | - | - | |
| Template:Flagdeco Kenya | March 2014 | Polygamous civil marriage | Passed[16] | - | - | - | Yes Yes | |
To outlaw polygamy
| Country | Date | Prohibition type | Upper House | Lower House | Head of State | Final outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | |||||
| Template:Flagdeco United States | July 1862 | Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, which made polygamy a misdemeanor offense in US territories and other areas where the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction. | ' | ' | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco United States | March 1882 | Edmunds Act, which reinforced Morrill by making polygamy a felony in the jurisdictions covered by Morrill; also prohibited "bigamous" or "unlawful cohabitation" as a misdemeanor offense, which removed the need to prove that actual marriages had occurred in order to obtain convictions on polygamy related charges. | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| File:Turkestan Autonomous SSR Flag.svg Turkestan ASSR (modern Kyrgyzstan) | October 1921 | Outlaws polygamy[173] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Thailand | October 1935 | Outlaws polygamy; polygamous marriage[174] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco North Vietnam (modern Vietnam) | October 1950 | Outlaws polygamy | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Syria | 1953 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage[162] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco India | 1955 | Outlaws Polygamy (Polygamy for Muslims was outlawed after a verdict by the Supreme Court of India in 2015)[175] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Tunisia | 1956 | Ban on polygamy; polygamous marriages[176] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Iraq | 1959 | Ban on polygamy; polygamous marriage[162] | Passed | Passed | Signed | No Revoked | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Côte d'Ivoire | 1964 | New penal code outlaws polygamy; polygamous marriages (upholds existing) | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco British Hong Kong (modern Hong Kong) | 1971 | Outlaws polygamy[177] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| File:Flag of the EPLF.svg Eritrean People's Liberation Front (modern Eritrea) | 1977 | Outlaws polygamy; polygamous marriage (districts under Sharia exempt)[178] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Egypt | 1979 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage; ease of divorce laws[176] | Passed; abrogated | - | - | - | No No | |
| Template:Flagdeco Egypt | 1985 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage (less liberal)[176] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco France | 1993 | Outlaws family reunion for polygamist immigrants[179] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Uganda | December 2003 | Outlaws polygamy[180] | Failed | - | - | No No | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Morocco | 2003 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage[176] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Benin | August 2004 | New penal code outlaws polygamy; polygamous marriages (upholds existing)[181] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Morocco | February 2005 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage (heavy restrictions)[182] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Uganda | July 2005 | Outlaws polygamy[183] | Failed | - | - | No No | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Indonesia | 2007 | Bans civil servants from living polygamously[184] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Morocco | May 2008 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage (heavy restrictions)Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Uganda | June 2008 | Outlaws polygamy[180] | Failed | - | - | No No | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Iraqi Kurdistan | Nov. 2008 | Outlaws polygamy except in selective circumstances[185] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes Yes | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Mayotte | March 2009 | 2009 Mahoran status referendum (passage outlaws polygamy)[186] | Territory-wide referendum | Yes Yes | ||||
| Template:Flagdeco Turkey | May 2009 | Disallows polygamists from immigrating into the country[187]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | Yes Yes | |||||
| Template:Flagdeco Indonesia | July 2009 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage[188] | Pending | Pending | - | - | ||
| Template:Flagdeco Namibia | July 2009 | Ban on polygamy and polygamous customary marriages | Proposed | - | - | - | - | |
See also
References
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ PDF of Supreme Court Decision http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2022/23media.pdf
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ CEDAW (2007), Responses to the List of Issues And Questions with Regard to the Consideration of the Combined Initial, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Periodic Reports: Sierra Leone, CEDAW/C/SLE/Q/5/Add. 1, CEDAW, New York, NY, p. 17.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Tunisian women free to marry non-Muslims, BBC, 16 Sept 2017
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ The English Law of Bigamy in a Multi-Confessional Society: The Israel Experience by P Shifman.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- ↑ "Polygamy Fosters Culture Clashes (and Regrets) in Turkey", New York Times, 10 July 2006
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Turkey's secularism 'threatened'", BBC
- ↑ Alev Çinar, "Modernity, Islam, and Secularism in Turkey"
- ↑ "Polygamy in Turkey", Polygamy 411, May 2009
- ↑ "Uzbekistan establishes administrative liability for promoting cohabitation with two or more wives", Uz Daily, 1 November 2023
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Neither bigamy, nor polygamy, nor cohabitation is listed as a crime or offence in the Criminal Code of Russia or the Offences Code of Russia
- ↑ Chintana Yossoonthorn, Women in Thailand, Proceedings of the Peace Corps Conference on Women and Development Bangkok, 1979, p. 11.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ https://www.legislationline.org/download/id/3316/file/France_Criminal%20Code%20updated%20on%2012-10-2005.pdf Template:Bare URL PDF
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Svenska Dagbladet: Månggifte godkänns – ibland (accessed 15 January 2016)
- ↑ Aftonbladet: Jodå – månggifte ÄR tillåtet i Sverige (accessed 15 January 2016)
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Script error: No such module "Navbox". Script error: No such module "Navbox".