Contextualisation of Human Rights Issues and Treatment of Women in African Contemporary Anthropological Traditional Justice Systems

The article aims to unravel the efficacy of anthropological traditional justice systems on women’s human rights concerns, which need to be monitored in the facets of cultural anthropological perspectives. Issues relating to fair trial, ill treatment, and the prohibition of discrimination amongst women in the traditional justice system are going to be analysed from an anthropological point of view. Human rights issues relating to traditional justice systems are one of the contested areas in ontological anthropology perspectives, such that the majority of publications view traditional justice systems as agents for human rights abuse. Indeed, traditional justice systems and their accompanying mechanisms have been in existence in most countries for long periods and they have existed primarily for the purpose of resolving conflicts within and between communities. Some of these traditional institutions and practices have been dogged by a myriad of challenges, such as being undermined by serious and real accusations of politicisation and resistance from rising Christian culture and practices. The study is based on alternative dispute resolution theory as the theoretical framework. The qualitative grounded research methodology forms the basis of the research. Findings from the study show that some of the traditional justice practices have, however, been dogged by a myriad of challenges, such as being undermined by serious and real accusations of politicisation, resistance from rising Christian culture and practices, and accusations of serious bias against women. Recommendations proffer that traditional rulers should be trained to uphold justice at the community level by protecting women’s rights. The judiciary in African countries should develop policies which emphasise women's participation in traditional justice systems.