Equality activist: We need to put polygamy on the agenda

Neneh Bojang.Photo IAC NORWAY

Equality activist Neneh Bojang says it is problematic that there are no recorded statistics of polygamous marriages in Norway, as this is a growing problem.

– Many people think it is inconceivable that polygamy occurs in Norway because it is illegal here, says Bojang to Our Country.
Those who enter into a polygamous marriage can avoid Norwegian law by by marrying extrajudicially in a place of worhsip under the religious laws of one of the religions that allows for polygamy. This means that they then can be legally married to one wife, while they are religiously married to one or more others.
– Many are afraid to tell that they live in a relationship where the man has several wives. They feel a cultural and social pressure to accept that the man has the right to be married to several wives, said Bojang.
– We as politicians need to work on these challenges. We will never get rid of polygamy if we cannot alter that religious marriage is perceived to be as binding as legal marriage, says Geir Bekkevold in KrF said. Bekkevold is a member of the Family and Cultural Committee in the parliament.

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today