25th june 2003 Session at the SENAT
concerning the question of polygamy and of repudiation in Mayotte

...
Mister President -It's Mrs Anne-Marie Payet's turn to speak.
Mrs Anne-Marie Payet -
...
Besides, I would like to draw the Senat's attention to the suppression in parity mixt commission of the article 47 of the bill, which forbids polygamy and repudiation in the collectivity of Mayotte. That point might appear anecdotic or laughable if it were not that it concerns questions and principles of high importance. It is already pathetic enough to see that we had to wait till the year of grace 2003 for the legislators to evoke the banning of such degrading pratices for women as polygamy and repudiation.

Our country has claimed to be a democracy for centuries, women have acquired the same social and political rights as men for decades, the constitution and the law have garanteed parity between men and women for years; yet, everyone tolerates that, in an out-and-out conclave (sic) of the republic territoritory, inique practices sheltered by a law as outmoded as it is barbararic are still going on.

The Mahoran women were delighted when they learned that polygamy and repudiation might be forbidden."

src: http://www.senat.fr/seances/s200306/s20030625/s20030625001.html#int55, SÉANCE DU 25 juin 2003 au SENAT.
Translated by 2009

The 21/07/2003 orientation law n°2003-660 for the overseas has abolished polygamy by stating : " No one can contract a new marriage before the dissolution of the
the previous one or ones. The present article concerned only people accessing to the required age to get married on 1srt january 2003". Let's note that tradionally,
the accomodation belongs to the wife in Mayotte and that a repudiation or a divorce stands therefore, essentially, for the loss of a companion rather than the loss of a social
or economic status ( the "foundis" and the eldest saw to it that the wife keep her economic situation even after the departer of the husband). Death duties (
discriminating depending on the religion of the heirs), land rights. Yet, unilateral polygamy and repudiation have been abolished for the persons who access marriage age from 2005.

src: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayotte
Translated by 2009