Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano, Kano State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding Authors’ Contact Detail: E-mail Address ✉: aondover7@gmail.com

Accepted November 29, 2020

The role of culture is apparent and uncompromising, such as women obtaining permission from their husbands before accepting or adopting any contraceptive method. Unfortunately, these patriarchal systems are still maintained in Katsina-Ala, to subjugate women and render them vulnerable to obnoxious cultural practices, which violate the rights of girls or women. Women are arbitrarily deprived of their liberty to express and exercise their fundamental rights. In spite of the high risk of maternal morbidity or too closely spaced birth; women often cannot exercise control over their own fertility. Hence, this study examined the influence of cultural practices on maternal morbidity and complications in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State. The study adopted positivist and constructivist design approach of data generation and analysis using Survey and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methods. Theoretically, Radical Feminism Theory (RFT) was employed in the study. Based on the findings, the study attested that 35.1% of women in Katsina-Ala local government normally get married at the age of 16-20 when most of their systems are not yet developed thereby causing sickness like Vesico-Vagina Fistula (VVF). The findings revealed that 51.4% of the women in Katsina-Ala local government have given birth to children at home. Also, the use of herbal treatment during pregnancy instead of seeking proper medical attention from a medical practitioner constitutes another reason for such complications. Conclusively, infection is another reason that women get infected with diseases as a result of poor medical treatment.

Key words: Benue State, complications, cultural practices, Katsina-Ala and maternal morbidity.

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