Nearly a dozen countries that do not allow polygamous civil marriages recognize polygamous marriages at common law. All states in northern Nigeria governed by Islamic Sharia law recognize polygamous marriages. The autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland in northern Somalia recognize polygamy, as does the country`s transitional government itself, as the country is subject to Sharia law. Newly independent South Sudan also recognizes polygamy. While polygamy (the practice of taking several husbands or wives but often wives) is legal in some countries for primarily religious reasons, polyamorous families do not enjoy similar legal protection. But there is a burgeoning movement for polyamorous partnerships to enjoy similar legal recognitions as monogamous couples. In 2015, Zoe Duff of the Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association spoke of the hope that “one day we will have households where our spouses are equal before the law and progress in terms of pensions, inheritances and asset sharing.” “Most people immediately think of polygamy and Mormons when they first hear about it, and they don`t like the idea of a man with two wives who don`t interact.” Some countries where polygamy is legal are not signatories to the ICCPR, including Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan and the United Arab Emirates; so that the ICCPR does not apply to these countries. [152] The Department of Justice Canada has argued that polygamy is a violation of international human rights law. [153] At present, there may be good reasons to maintain illegal star polygamy. However, marriages between several people should generally not be avoided. The great advantage of this would be that polyamorists could finally get married.
A recent survey of 4,000 polyamorous people found that nearly two-thirds would be willing to marry multiple people if it were legal (“What do polys want?” 2012). This would be an important new option for many. Therefore, palmed marriage, if properly designed by local policymakers for their own context, could represent a non-problematic form of marriage that is ideal for polygamists and deserves serious consideration for legalization in today`s liberal democracies. 5. In May 2011, long-term cohabitation between unmarried people, known as união estável (“stable union”), was extended to same-sex couples, recognized as a family unit and granted the 112 rights of married couples – the only legal difference with marriage is that it does not change individual marital status from single to married. [ref. needed] The Muslim acceptance of polygamy is illustrated by the fact that polygamy is more common in the Middle East and North and Central Africa, the regions of the world with the highest concentrations of Muslims, and illegal in most other regions. In addition, several countries recognize polygamous marriages between Muslims, but not between practitioners of other religions. We know they can`t be punished for polyamory, which can lead to ambiguous reporting. Colombia repealed its laws criminalizing polygamous relationships in 2001. This is not the same as legally recognizing polyamorous marriages as valid.
It just means you can`t be arrested and jailed for it. Group marriage is an umbrella term for marriages involving multiple husbands as well as multiple wives. Polyamory is the practice of having multiple romantic relationships, with all parties having complete knowledge and giving full consent. Not related to marriage. Polygeny is the (outdated) theory that the different races of humanity evolved from different ancestral groups. This term has nothing to do with polygamy, but is sometimes confused with “polygyny”, so it is included here for clarity. Debates on the legalization of polygamous marriages continue in Central Asian countries. [ref. First, empirical evidence shows a troubling correlation between polygamy, as currently practised, and harm to women, a link that judges in many countries have used to enforce the prohibition of polygamy.
For example, in polygamous marriages, these women are much more likely to experience abuse, depression and poverty than monogamous marriages (Bala, 2011). Women are often unable to control the arrival of new wives by their husbands, contributing to feelings of helplessness and psychological abuse (Hassouneh-Phillips, 2001, 744). If the authorities legally recognize her marriage, it will be a first for Colombia. But it`s a big “if.” The legal status of polygamy varies widely around the world. Polygamy is legal in 58 of the approximately 200 sovereign states, the vast majority of which are Muslim-majority countries. Polyandry is illegal in virtually all countries and strictly forbidden in Islam. [ref. needed] Several non-Muslim countries (particularly in sub-Saharan Africa) allow polygamy among Muslims in their communities.
Some countries that allow polygamy have restrictions, such as requiring the first wife to give consent. Manny Rivas says he “would love it if we could get married legally and show people there`s nothing wrong with it, show people that it can work. If this is the future of marriage, it is worth examining how it aligns with a libertarian philosophy of self-government. Instead of the government telling citizens what kind of family they are entitled to have, these people go to the government and basically say, “We will decide what our family looks like, thank you very much.” As one of the men in the Colombian relationship said: “We wanted to validate our household. and our rights because we did not have a solid legal basis to establish ourselves as a family. To learn more, click here. Same-sex couples previously had to overcome equally absurd legal hurdles to define their families in a way that the government would respect them. The men then signed legal documents with a lawyer and released a video to Colombian media. In Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church condemns polygamy, as do most Protestant churches. However, the Lutheran Church accepts some polygamists and the Anglican Communion decided in 1988 that polygamy was permitted in certain circumstances.
Polygamy is illegal and criminalized in all countries in North and South America, including all 50 U.S. states. However, in February 2020, the Utah House of Representatives and Senate reduced the sentence for consensual polygamy, which was previously classified as a felony, to about one misdemeanor. This subsection of Christianity is known for its historically atypical attitude toward polygamy.