Acronyms and abbreviations

ACHPR	African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights
ACRWC	African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
ANAJJ	National Legal and Judicial Assistance Agency
ANLTP/TIM	National Agency for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Illegal Trafficking of Migrants
ANPE	National Agency for the Promotion of Employment
AU	African Union
AUC	African Union Commission
CAT	Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
CEDAW	Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
CFAF	CFA franc
CNCLTP/TIM	National Committee to Coordinate Action against Trafficking in Persons and Illegal Trafficking of Migrants
CNDH	National Commission on Human Rights
CNSS	National Social Security Fund
COSIVIP	Introduction to Professional Life Contract for women
CSOs	Civil society organizations
DHS-MICS	Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Cluster Survey
DPG	General policy statement
ECOWAS	Economic Community of West African States
FDS	Defence and security forces
FGM	Female genital mutilation
GBV	Gender-based violence
GF	Women’s group
GIE	Economic interest group
HIV	Human immunodeficiency virus
ICCPR	International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICESCR	International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Right
ICT	Information and communications technology
IGA	Income-generating activity
IGN	Niger Gender Initiative
ILO	International Labour Organization
INS	National Institute of Statistics
IYB	Improve Your Business
MEN	Ministry of National Education
MEP/A/PLN/EC	Ministry of Primary Education, Literacy, the Promotion of National Languages and Civic Education
MEP/T	Ministry of Vocational and Technical Education
MES	Ministry of Secondary Education
MET/PS	Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Welfare
MINUJUSTH	United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti
MINUSCA	United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic
MINUSMA	United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
MJ	Ministry of Justice
MONUSCO	United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
MPF/PE	Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Protection of Children
MSP	Ministry of Health
NGO	Non-governmental organization
OHCHR	Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
ONPG	National Institute for Monitoring the Advancement of Women
PACE	Business Creation Assistance Programme
PAIJ	Youth Workforce Entry Assistance Programme
PDES	Economic and Social Development Plan
PDS	Health Development Plan
PEJIP	Youth Employment and Productive Inclusion Project
PF	Family planning
PNE	National Child Protection Policy
PNG	National Gender Policy
PNJ	National Youth Policy
PRN	Office of the President of the Republic of the Niger
PTF	Technical and financial partners
RH	Reproductive health
RPC	Career Change Contract
SDGs	Sustainable Development Goals
SEN	Essential newborn care
SNAEFFF	Accelerated Strategy for the Education and Training of Girls and Women
SNDS	National Strategy for the Development of Statistics
SONNE	Essential obstetrical and neonatal care
SONU	Emergency obstetrical and neonatal care
SWEDD	Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend
TGI/HC	Special Regional Court
UNDP	United Nations Development Programme
UNFPA	United Nations Population Fund
UNICEF	United Nations Children’s Fund
VAW	Violence against women
WHO	World Health Organization

I.Introduction

1.This report is being submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women pursuant to article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, to which the Niger acceded on 8 October 1999. By acceding to the Convention, the Niger undertook to prepare a periodic report every four years on the administrative, judicial, social and other measures taken to give effect to its provisions.

2.To fulfil its commitment, the Niger presented its combined initial and second periodic reports (CEDAW/C/NER/1-2) in May 2007, at the thirty-eighth session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, held in Geneva.

3.On 13 July 2017, the Niger presented its combined third and fourth periodic reports (CEDAW/C/NER/3-4). Following the presentation of the report, it received concluding observations and recommendations (CEDAW/C/NER/CO/3-4). For the preparation of the present report, which covers the period from 2017 to 2021, the Niger opted to use the simplified reporting procedure, which involves responding to a list of issues and questions drawn up by the Committee prior to the submission of the report. The list was sent to the Niger on 9 July 2021.

II.Drafting methodology and process

4.This report was produced by the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow‑up to the Recommendations of the Treaty Bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, with technical and financial support from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN-Women. It describes new strategies and policies, new projects and programmes, legislative and regulatory changes and administrative and judicial advances that have come about since the presentation of the previous periodic report on the implementation of the substantive articles of the Convention in 2017.

5.The report, which is consistent in form and substance with the harmonized guidelines on reporting to the treaty bodies, also describes the numerous obstacles hindering effective implementation or realization of the rights enshrined in the Convention.

6.This report is the result of an inclusive and participatory process, comprising several phases:

•A four-day orientation and scoping workshop was held for all members of the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up to the Recommendations of the Treaty Bodies and the Universal Periodic Review. Technical support was provided by the West Africa Regional Office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Dakar.

•A three-day workshop, bringing together the members of the Mechanism and resource persons, was held to compile the data collected and review the first draft of the report.

•A two-day sharing and validation workshop was held for all stakeholders, namely civil society organizations, the National Commission on Human Rights, technical and financial partners, government institutions and other State entities concerned with the issue of women’s rights.

•The draft report was submitted to and adopted by the Cabinet on 10 October 2022.

•The report was submitted to the Council of Ministers and adopted by decree No. 2022-806/PRN/MJ of 20 October 2022.

•The report was transmitted to the United Nations in November 2022.

III.Replies to the list of issues and questions

Reply to paragraph 1 in the list of issues and questions

A.General

7.The population of the Niger, which was 3.3 million in 1960, the year the country gained independence, had risen to 22.7 million by 2020, according to the projections of the National Institute of Statistics. The annual growth rate is 3.9 per cent. Notable aspects of the country’s population structure are the predominance of women, who make up 50.2 per cent of the population, and its extreme youth, with over half of the population being below the age of 15 and more than two-thirds under 25. More than four-fifths of the population – 84 per cent – live in rural areas.

8.Demographic transition, which is the transition from high to low mortality and fertility rates, has begun in the Niger. The total fertility rate fell from 7.6 children per woman in 2012 to 6.2 children per woman in 2021. The mortality rate fell from 11.6 per thousand in 2001 to 9.12 per thousand in 2014 (latest available data).

9.The poverty index decreased by 5.4 percentage points, from 46.2 per cent to 40.8 per cent, between 2014 and 2019. An analysis of poverty by place of residence reveals a significant gap between urban and rural areas. In 2019, 46.8 per cent of people living in rural areas were affected by poverty, compared with 11.8 per cent of those in urban areas. The incidence of poverty is almost the same whatever the gender of the head of the household: 40.8 per cent for households headed by men and 40.7 per cent for those headed by women.

10.Some children are affected by an accumulation of disparities related to gender, place of residence and wealth. For example, the probability of a girl from a poor rural family completing primary school is 24 per cent. To remedy this situation, the Government is intensifying its efforts to enrol and keep girls in school by establishing boarding schools for girls in rural areas. There are also many plans, projects, programmes, strategies, policies and other initiatives in place to benefit women and girls.

11.With regard to higher education, the Niger has eight public universities. The total number of students at those universities in 2020 was 72,133, of whom 26,559 were young women and 45,594 were young men. In 2018, women made up 27.08 per cent of students at public universities. However, women comprise 54 per cent of students in public higher professional schools, on average. In private higher professional schools, the proportion of women has improved significantly, rising from 44.40 per cent in 2016 to 50.58 per cent in 2018.

12.With regard to the question of how the Niger intends to improve the collection and analysis of data pertaining to areas covered by the Convention so as to support the development of policies, programmes and plans, a review of Act No. 2014-66 of 5 November 2014, governing statistical activities, is under way, and a national strategy for the development of statistics is being elaborated. The results of these two initiatives will make it possible to address challenges related to the quality and quantity of data by refocusing the national statistical system and building capacities for the production and dissemination of statistics in all domains.

13.With regard to steps taken to withdraw or narrow the reservations to the Convention, in particular articles 2 and 16, the Niger recalls that when it acceded to the Convention, on 8 October 1999, it made reservations concerning articles 2 (d) and (f), 5 (a), 15 (4), 16 (1) (c), (e) and (g) and 29. These reservations have not yet been withdrawn, owing to sociocultural constraints, but consultations to that end are ongoing. Despite these reservations, the Government is working daily to implement the Convention and promote substantive equality between women and men, in accordance with article 22 of the Constitution.

Reply to paragraph 2 in the list of issues and questions

B.Women’s rights and gender equality in relation to the pandemic and recovery efforts

14.In line with the Committee’s guidance note on the obligations of States parties to the Convention in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, issued on 22 April 2020, the Government has implemented measures to effectively manage the pandemic (the first positive COVID-19 case having been confirmed on 19 March 2020). It established an alert and surveillance committee with a focus on border control, the development of a comprehensive response plan and the adoption of 38 protective measures and directives. The comprehensive plan, which has a budget of CFAF 1,439.5 billion, is based on four components: (i) health management of the pandemic (CFAF 167.3 billion); (ii) support for the resilience of the education system (CFAF 20.6 billion); (iii) support for vulnerable people (CFAF 486.8 billion); and (iv) mitigation of the economic and financial impact of the pandemic and strengthening of the resilience of the agropastoral sector (CFAF 374.2 billion).

15.The strategic and operational mechanism, whose steering committee is chaired by the Head of State, has enabled the Niger to manage the pandemic and its socioeconomic impact effectively. This has resulted in the stable management of the pandemic.

Reply to paragraph 3 in the list of issues and questions

C.Legislative and institutional framework

16.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations (para. 12), and in order to align domestic laws relating to family rights with the provisions of the Convention, the Government is planning to reform the Civil Code, as described below. The discussions will cover, among other things, the provisions on the matrimonial home (art. 108), the status of head of household and paternal power (arts. 213–216), the legal capacity of married women (arts. 506 and 507), remarriage (arts. 228 and 296), the exercise of guardianship over children (arts. 389–396 and 405) and the distribution of marital assets (art. 818).

Reply to paragraph 4 in the list of issues and questions

D.National human rights institution

17.The National Commission on Human Rights, established under article 44 of the Constitution, is governed by Organic Act No. 2012-44 of 24 August 2012, which regulates the composition, organization, powers and operation of the Commission. The Act provides that the Commission shall be composed of nine permanent members having the status of commissioners and enjoying jurisdictional privileges for a term of four years, renewable once. This mandate is not imperative, and the functions of commissioners are incompatible with the exercise of any elective office; any public employment, civil or military; any national representation function; and any professional activity except teaching.

18.The Commission is an independent administrative authority which, in the exercise of its responsibilities, does not receive instructions from any source whatsoever. The Niger is one of the very first countries in French-speaking Africa to establish such an institution. In 2020, the Commission’s missions were updated with the adoption of Act No. 2020-02 of 6 May 2020, which established the Independent National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture within the Commission.

19.The Commission’s responsibilities include protecting the rights of vulnerable persons, including women and children. It presented its most recent report on the human rights situation in the Niger, covering the period 2019–2020, to the National Assembly on 31 May 2021. The report describes, in part III, the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain with regard to the protection and promotion of human rights in the Niger, including those of women.

20.Currently, two of the nine members (seven elected and two appointed) of the Commission are women, who were elected by their entities. One of them is the Vice-President. Most of the administrative and technical staff are also women. In 2017, the Commission regained its A status accreditation for compliance with the Paris Principles, which it had lost in 2010 following the military coup that resulted in the suspension of the Constitution. Its A status was recently renewed, on 10 October 2022.

21.The Commission enjoys financial autonomy. Its annual budget, allocated by the State, is approximately CFAF 400 million. It also receives logistical and financial support from both national and international partners.

22.Within the framework of protecting and defending human rights, the Commission is tasked with:

•Receiving complaints and conducting investigations into human rights violations

•Carrying out regular announced or unannounced visits to places of detention and making recommendations to the competent authorities

•Combating torture, acts of abuse and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, in accordance with universal, regional or national human rights standards

•Combating rape and gender-based violence in public and private life

•Providing or facilitating the provision of legal assistance for victims of human rights violations, especially women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable persons

•Informing the Government of all cases of human rights violations

•Combating slavery-like practices, the worst forms of child labour and equivalent practices

23.Within the framework of promoting human rights, the Commission is tasked with:

•Promoting human rights in general and the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable persons in particular, through information, education and communication carried out throughout the country

•Carrying out nationwide information and awareness-raising campaigns on human rights

•Contributing to the development and implementation of human rights education programmes

•Informing the public about national and international instruments for the promotion and protection of human rights

•Encouraging and contributing to the translation of national, regional and international instruments into national languages

•Contributing to the promotion of the principles of equality and non‑discrimination as set out in the Constitution

•Conducting studies and research on human rights

•Providing the public authorities with opinions and recommendations on human rights matters

•Raising awareness among citizens regarding their rights

•Raising awareness among State actors, particularly administrative authorities and senior members of the defence and security forces, regarding respect for citizens’ rights

•Holding training seminars and workshops on human rights

24.The Commission is also responsible for:

•Providing the Government and the National Assembly, either at the request of the relevant authorities or using its power to act on its own initiative, with opinions, recommendations and proposals on any matter relating to the promotion and protection of human rights, particularly on bills and legislative proposals

•Contributing to the harmonization of national laws, regulations and practices with the international and regional human rights instruments to which the Niger is a party, and ensuring their effective implementation

•Encouraging the competent State bodies to implement the international human rights conventions ratified by the Niger

•Ensuring the timely submission by the competent State bodies to the United Nations treaty bodies and regional human rights mechanisms of the reports that the Niger is required to submit in accordance with its treaty obligations, and contributing to the drafting of the reports in a manner consistent with its independent status

•Maintaining cooperative relations with national human rights organizations at the regional and international levels and with regional and international organizations working on the promotion and protection of human rights

Reply to paragraph 5 in the list of issues and questions

E.Access to justice

25.Access to justice is essential to ensuring respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Government is working to ensure that any person who so desires can easily access legal proceedings, in order to be heard, obtain any document to which he or she is entitled or defend himself or herself at any stage of proceedings. To this end, the Government has established a protective legal framework that everyone is familiar with and understands, and reasonable fees, as well as guaranteeing the availability and accessibility of a lawyer of choice or a public defender.

26.To facilitate access to justice for vulnerable persons, particularly women, Act No. 2011-042 of 14 December 2011, by which the National Legal and Judicial Assistance Agency (ANAJJ) was established, and a number of other instruments have been adopted. These include Decree No. 2012-543/PRN/MJ of 13 November 2012, which sets out the statutes of ANAJJ. In articles 15, 16 and 17 of this text, the operating procedures and responsibilities of the local offices of ANAJJ are established. In application of these provisions, a legal aid office has been set up at each of the country’s 10 district courts. These offices are essentially responsible for receiving and registering requests for legal aid from the vulnerable and destitute, including women and children. From October 2019 to July 2020, the local legal and judicial assistance offices provided legal assistance to 1,337 adult women and 95 minor girls, and judicial assistance to 104 adult women and 145 minor girls.

27.In addition, in order to provide better care for women victims of violence, ANAJJ, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, has joined the Spotlight Initiative. The role of the local offices of ANAJJ in the programme is to refer women victims of violence to enable them to receive effective care.

28.Texts adopted to enable ANAJJ to fulfil its mission are currently being implemented. These include, for example, Decree No. 2014-578/PRN/MJ of 26 September 2014, which sets out the flat-rate sums to be paid to public defenders and the annual allocations to be paid to the bar associations. The State continues to pay for the legal defence of vulnerable persons, whether it is provided by public defenders or by professional lawyers. Another example is Order No. 0062/MJ/PPG/SG/DGANAJJ of 22 May 2014, which sets out the terms for the collaboration and participation of persons and organizations in legal assistance actions. Implementing this Order has made it possible to inform many women about their rights, refer them to the entities or organizations responsible for safeguarding those rights, assist them with the drafting of legal documents and help them take all the steps necessary to exercise their rights.

29.The table below, provided by ANAJJ, contains statistics related to women’s access to justice from 2017 to 2021.

Table 1

Women’s access to justice

Year	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	Total
Legal assistance	1 771 (total, not disaggregated)	7 796 (total, not disaggregated)	6 873 (women)	2 248 (women)	1 537 (women)	20 225
Judicial assistance	905 (total, not disaggregated)	916 (total not disaggregated)	322 (women)	296 (women)	300 (women)	2 739
Total	2 676	8 712	7 195	2 544	1 837	22 964

30.Women’s access to justice is not being improved through State entities alone. Civil society organizations and the National Commission on Human Rights carry out informational, awareness-raising and training activities on women’s rights. With the support of development partners, various workshops, seminars and radio and television discussions targeting women are held daily.

31.To eliminate gender stereotypes and biases against women who advocate for their rights, law officers and traditional and religious leaders are given ongoing training aimed at bringing their practices into line with the provisions of the Convention. Training manuals and guides have also been developed for their use.

32.In order to facilitate access to justice by ensuring that there is a network of law officers throughout the country, the State recruited 66 law officers between 2019 and 2021. A total of 47 student law officers, who are currently completing legal training, will soon be deployed. Despite a significant increase in its budget, the Ministry of Justice does not have sufficient human or material resources to properly administer public justice services and is therefore unable to meet all of the public’s legitimate expectations. The Ministry’s funds have rarely accounted for 1 per cent of the national budget. The funds allocated to it in 2020 and 2021 represented, respectively, 0.46 and 0.49 per cent of the national budget. Nevertheless, the Government is committed to continuing to increase the resources allocated to the justice sector within the framework of the Renaissance Acte 3 programme and in accordance with the recommendations that emerged from the national consultations on the justice system.

33.Law officers play a driving role in protecting women’s rights. To support them in that role and enable them to establish solid case law that reflects the promotion of women’s rights and is based on the principle of equality, they are increasingly being provided with training on the Convention. These capacity-building training sessions undoubtedly contribute to the promotion of women’s rights by countering discrimination and violence against women.

Reply to paragraph 6 in the list of issues and questions

F.Women, peace and security

34.In order to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), the Government of the Niger had developed a national action plan for the period 2017–2019. When an assessment of the effectiveness of the plan was conducted in 2020, it was found that women and girls represented the largest number of victims of conflicts in the Niger. Similarly, their needs were generally excluded from peacemaking and peacebuilding mechanisms. Following the assessment, the Government of the Niger developed and adopted a new plan for the period 2020–2024. It is based on the following five strategic areas:

•Prevention: the fundamental rights of women and girls are promoted and protected in all circumstances and by everyone

•Protection: women and girls have enhanced access to basic social services, economic opportunities and social justice and are protected from violence

•Participation: barriers are removed and women are involved in a meaningful way to prevent conflict over the long term and strengthen social cohesion

•Partnership: frameworks are established for joint action by public and private actors and by women’s and youth organizations, to build a more resilient society

•Coordination: there is an inclusive, participative and adequately resourced system in place to attain the objectives of the women and peace and security agenda

35.In order to combat sexual violence in conflict, such violence is considered to be a war crime, and is punishable as such, under the Criminal Code of the Niger (art. 208, paras. 5–8). Sexual violence followed by the abduction of girls and women, which is attributed to the armed terrorist groups that are ravaging our border areas, has been recorded. Although the perpetrators have not yet been identified, legal proceedings are following their normal course.

36.Cases of rape of women and girls by Chadian soldiers, who were on duty in the department of Téra in the context of joint counter-terrorism efforts, have also been reported. The perpetrators were sent back to and prosecuted in their country, and the Chadian authorities committed to compensating the victims.

37.To ensure the inclusion and participation of women at all levels of the decision-making, stabilization and reconstruction process, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), the Niger continues to work alongside other States to preserve international peace and security. It actively participates in the missions of the African Union and the United Nations. Moreover, as at 31 January 2020, the Niger ranked twenty-second among the countries providing personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions, a result of its deployment of 982 soldiers, police officers and experts to MINUSMA, MINUSCA, MONUSCO and MINUJUSTH. Women accounted for 5.3 per cent of those personnel.

38.In terms of women’s representation in the defence and security forces, according to the gender focal points in the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior, women make up approximately 3 per cent of the military, 10 per cent of the gendarmerie, 7 per cent of the National Guard and 15 per cent of the police. In view of the international, regional and national commitments made by the Niger, work remains to be done to improve women’s representation in the military contingent, in order to achieve the goals of United Nations Security Council resolution 2242 (2015) by achieving the target rate of 8.4 per cent by 2020, and the goals of the uniformed gender parity strategy, which the United Nations adopted in January 2019 with the aim of increasing the number of women in military contingents to 15 per cent and the number of women in formed police units to 20 per cent by 2028.

Reply to paragraph 7 in the list of issues and questions

G.National machinery for the advancement of women

39.The Niger adopted a national action plan in order to achieve gender equality, which remains a major challenge for the country. This national action plan for women (2009–2018) was then used as the basis for an assessment of the status of gender equality. Progress had been made in the areas of representation in decision-making bodies, improvement of living conditions and institutional improvement. Following the assessment, a five-year plan for 2018–2022 was developed in partnership with the various sectoral ministries and women’s civil society organizations. This plan of action was designed to ensure the promotion of gender equity and equality in the distribution of national income, women’s empowerment, and women’s effective participation in decision-making and the management of power.

40.The capacity, in terms of human, technical and financial resources, of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Protection of Children, the National Centre for the Advancement of Gender Equality and the gender focal points of the sectoral ministries remains insufficient. It should also be noted that the Ministry’s budget represents less than 1 per cent of the national budget. To achieve its objectives, in addition to the budget allocated to it by the Government, the Ministry benefits from the support of partners such as the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNICEF, UN-Women, the NGO Plan International, several countries and various other entities.

41.The creation of a department specifically responsible for the promotion of gender equity and equality has, inter alia, enhanced the visibility of gender issues in the actions taken by public authorities for the advancement of women and supported the reduction of gender inequalities.

42.Gender issues are promoted in a cross-cutting manner in all development sectors, with the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Protection of Children playing a driving and coordinating role. Major capacity-building measures have been initiated to build actors’ gender awareness, combat gender-based violence and provide Ministry officials with the technical skills needed for gender-sensitive planning and budgeting. Gender units have also been established within the ministries with a view to implementing the recommendations set out in the national strategy. The units have had to develop, to varying degrees, internal measures to foster gender mainstreaming at the different sectoral levels.

Reply to paragraph 8 in the list of issues and questions

H.Temporary special measures

43.With regard to temporary special measures, in 2019 the Niger adopted a new law by which it increased the proportion of elected positions that must be occupied by women from 15 to 25 per cent, and the proportion of appointed positions that must be occupied by women from 25 to 30 per cent. This was the second time that the rates had been raised in order to increase women’s representation in accordance with the guidelines of ECOWAS.

44.In the run-up the 2020/21 general elections, the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Protection of Children and its partners conducted an awareness-raising campaign on women’s political participation in all eight regions of the country. The general objectives of the campaign were to increase awareness of the new law establishing the quota and to encourage women to become actively involved in the electoral process, including by running in the 2020 legislative and local elections. This approach had a positive impact, resulting, for instance, in the election to the National Assembly of 50 women parliamentarians, out of a total of 166.

45.In the 2020 biometric voter registration exercise, women accounted for 55 per cent of registered voters. In addition, the number of political parties led by women has increased from seven to nine, meaning that women’s parties made up approximately 6 per cent of the 174 legally recognized political parties in the Niger as at 30 September 2022.

Reply to paragraphs 9, 10 and 11 in the list of issues and questions

I.Stereotypes and harmful practices

Gender-based violence against women

46.In 2020, the Government developed a national programme for the promotion of women’s leadership in the Niger. It also continues to implement the “Illimin” initiative, a programme for teenage girls aimed at reducing the rate of child marriage and delaying teenage pregnancies through the establishment of safe spaces. Informational and awareness-raising activities on violence against children and women committed by traditional and religious leaders and social workers are often conducted by the Ministry responsible for child protection and its decentralized services, as well as by NGOs and associations that are active in the Ministry’s field of competence. The Mediator of the Republic is also involved in this type of public information and awareness-raising campaign. This specific campaign is aimed at eradicating violence and harmful practices against children and women.

47.However, these informational and awareness-raising activities are not sufficiently coordinated or leveraged because of the lack of an overarching strategy shared by all actors (communication policy). Only very recently was a communication strategy on violence against women and girls and harmful practices developed. The strategy, which was validated on 2 June 2021 at a national validation workshop, is accompanied by an action plan to support its implementation.

48.The stated aim of the strategy is for girls and women in the Niger to benefit from positive attitudes, behaviour and social interactions as a result of gender-related social norms that promote reproductive rights and health, thus contributing to the eradication of violence against women.

49.The strategy is expected to result in:

•Positive social norms governing individual, family and community behaviour, and an increased demand for quality services for the prevention of and response to violence against women

•Quality services for the prevention of and response to violence against women being available and easily accessible

•Legislative and policy provisions conducive to preventing and responding to violence against women being available and consistently implemented

•The private sector being committed to preventing violence against women

50.In 2021, the Mediator of the Republic launched a media advocacy campaign aimed at revising and improving the national legal framework for the protection of women and girls against violence. The overall objective was to contribute to strengthening the legal framework and the effective implementation of national legislation on violence against women and girls in the regions of Tahoua, Maradi, Zinder and Tillabéri. A series of meetings brought together traditional and religious leaders, parliamentarians, technical officials and civil society. Analysis was focused on some discriminatory provisions, such as provisions of the Civil Code on the age of marriage; harmful practices, such as the failure to respect the modalities of repudiation as prescribed by Islam; and the issues regarding women’s acquisition of land through succession in certain regions of the Niger.

51.Informational and awareness-raising activities on violence against children and women committed by traditional and religious leaders and social workers are also often conducted by the Ministry responsible for child protection and its decentralized services, as well as by NGOs and associations.

52.Sexual violence is addressed in the Criminal Code, primarily as indecent assault (arts. 277–281), rape (arts. 283 and 284), sexual harassment (art. 281.1), female genital mutilation (art. 232.1–3) and aggravated indecent assault and rape (art. 285). Since female genital mutilation is practised on minors, article 232.2 establishes that the accidental death of the victim is an aggravating circumstance and punishes perpetrators and accomplices with 10 to 20 years’ imprisonment. When the perpetrator is a medical or paramedical professional, he or she will be sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of CFAF 200,000, without prejudice to the prohibition from practising his or her profession for five years.

53.Marital rape is not specifically defined in the Criminal Code. Article 283 of the text defines rape in a general manner, as follows: “Any act of sexual penetration, whatever its nature, committed against another person using violence, coercion, threat or surprise, constitutes rape”.

54.The practice of wahaya will very soon be specifically criminalized as part of the general overhaul of the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure initiated by the Government. The national committee charged with overhauling the Codes was officially established by the Minister of Justice on 9 February 2022.

55.From 2013 to 2020, efforts to combat forced marriage and child marriage resulted in remarkable progress. Advances include the following key measures:

National Child Protection Policy

The Policy, which was adopted in 2013, is built around the following strategic areas:

•The prevention of all forms of violence against, abuse of and exploitation of children

•The provision of care for child victims of violence, abuse and exploitation

•The strengthening of the protection system

National Strategic Plan to End Child Marriage

This Plan’s main objective is to delay marriage until the age of 18, and it has four strategic areas:

•Empowering girls with information, skills and support networks that enable them to meaningfully participate in the decisions that affect their lives, including with regard to education, livelihood strategies and increasing the age at which they marry

•Enhancing the capacity of parents and community members to discover better options by encouraging them to give their teenage daughters alternative opportunities, which will make them all the more ready for marriage once they turn 18

•Improving the accessibility and quality of education, protection and other social services for girls and create alternatives to child marriage, which are necessary to support the adoption of new, positive norms that are in conformity with the rights of the child

•Creating new platforms for social dialogue with a view to facilitating a collective casting aside of child marriage through open, public debate

Decree No. 2019-379/PRN/MPF/PE of 19 July 2019, on the establishment, powers, organization, composition and functioning of children’s committees at the national, regional, departmental, communal, village and tribal levels

The mission of these committees includes:

•Facilitating the abandonment of child marriage and the management of its effects on victims, as well as facilitating free access to legal and judicial assistance for girls in child marriages

•Facilitating access to free health services for girls who are victims of violence, abuse and exploitation, including child marriage

•Identifying and supporting children at risk of abuse, violence and exploitation

National Gender Policy

•The Policy was adopted in 2008 and then revised in 2017 to take into account environmental, security and migration-related challenges. It is accompanied by an action plan.

National Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response Strategy

•This Strategy was adopted in 2017 as part of the operationalization of the National Gender Policy and was followed by an action plan for the period 2017–2022. The Ministry of Justice, in partnership with UN-Women, has developed a draft law on gender-based violence that is now being finalized. The Ministry has also set up a national committee tasked with reviewing and adapting the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure with a view to addressing certain forms of gender-based violence that are not included therein.

•In order to provide access to quality services that are acceptable to victims of gender-based violence, holistic care centres for survivors have been set up in the regions of Maradi, Tahoua, Zinder and Tillabéri as part of the Spotlight Initiative, whose aim is to eliminate sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices. All essential services are provided at the centres.

“Illimin” initiative for teenage girls of the Niger

•The objective of this programme is to reduce teenage marriage and delay teenage pregnancies. The initiative targets married and unmarried adolescents between 10 and 19 years of age who have been taken out of school or have never attended school. As a result of the initiative, from 2013 to 2018, 132,715 teenage girls benefited from modular sessions and literacy training; 421 girls returned to school; 1,471 child marriages were cancelled or delayed; 54,607 teenage girls benefited from income-generating activities; and 1,800 benefited from vocational training in trades (such as photography, motorcycle repair, cell phone repair and plumbing).

Community-based approach to child protection

•This approach is being used in four regions of the country (Maradi, Tahoua, Tillabéri and Zinder). Its aim is to empower communities, at the grassroots level, to protect their children. The approach is holistic and is based on human rights in general and the rights of the child in particular. The adoption of this approach has had the following results:

–A total of 1,084 villages have each established a village child protection committee.

–A total of 7,235 adolescent girls between 14 and 18 years of age have participated directly in the programme and received training in human rights and modern life skills.

–A total of 440 girls, direct participants in the programme, have been given the title “protection correspondents”, and have been trained and equipped to continue building awareness in the villages and via community radio stations.

–Of the 854 villages targeted, 52 per cent have publicly announced their intention to promote a protective environment for children. Several villages have hung white flags on palaver trees or trees at the entrance to the village as a symbol of their abandonment of harmful practices.

–A total of 451 child marriages have been cancelled or delayed, 229 of those as a result of the community programme.

–Owing to the efforts of the committees, supported by the community facilitators, 614 children, including 243 girls, have returned to school.

56.The convening, in 2019 in Maradi, of a national awareness and advocacy forum on child marriage, organized jointly by the office of the Mediator of the Republic and the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Protection of Children, resulted in a collective of religious associations committing to supporting the Government in this battle by organizing regional and national advocacy and awareness workshops.

57.In order to reduce child marriages, the Government has initiated a reform of the Civil Code, which includes raising the minimum age for marriage to 18 years for both boys and girls.

Reply to paragraph 12 in the list of issues and questions

J.Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution

58.Prostitution is not punishable under national law. However, procurement and incitement to debauchery are punishable, pursuant to articles 291 to 294 of the Criminal Code. In addition, pursuant to article 10 of Order No. 2010-86 on trafficking in persons, exploitation includes, at a minimum, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude, the removal of organs, the exploitation of the prostitution of others and other forms of sexual exploitation, the exploitation of the begging of others and the exploitation of forced labour or services.

59.There is no recent statistical data available on investigations, prosecutions and convictions of, and the sentences imposed on, perpetrators in cases of trafficking in women and girls. Nevertheless, it is possible to indicate that in 2017, 15 adult men, 2 minors and 40 women were prosecuted, of whom 2 men and 3 women were tried for trafficking in persons; in 2018, 6 men and 15 women were prosecuted for exploitation of the begging of others, of whom 5 men and 1 woman were convicted; in 2019, 58 adult men and 7 minors were prosecuted for sexual violence, of whom 5 adults and 3 minors were tried and acquitted; and in 2020, the Special Regional Court of Niamey convicted 1 man of procurement and incitement to debauchery.

60.In addition to Order No. 2010-86 on trafficking in persons, the Government adopted an Act on the smuggling of migrants on 26 May 2015. In the Act, several offences and punishments were set out with a view to protecting the victims of migrant smuggling, and of trafficking in persons in all its forms. However, the Act was judged not to be in conformity with international standards, and accordingly it was redrafted by the Ministry of Justice in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The new draft law was approved at a workshop held in Dosso from 30 June to 1 May 2022, which brought together all stakeholders. The draft is in the process of being adopted.

61.With regard to compensation for victims, article 97 of Order No. 2010-86 of 16 December 2010, on combating trafficking in persons, provided for the establishment of a special fund for the compensation of victims, to be managed by the National Agency for Combating Trafficking in Persons, the financing and management procedures for which were to be determined by a decree of the Council of Ministers. In accordance with the provisions of article 97, the Minister of Justice initiated the process of developing such a draft decree, but unfortunately the process could not be completed. Currently, the National Committee to Coordinate Action against Trafficking in Persons and Illegal Trafficking of Migrants, the National Agency for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Illegal Trafficking of Migrants and technical and financial partners are in talks aimed at resuming and completing the process of setting up the fund.

62.With regard to care for victims, a reception and protection centre for victims of trafficking in persons was established and opened in Zinder on 18 July 2019. It is operational and is managed by the National Agency for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Illegal Trafficking of Migrants, with the support of partners. Since the establishment of the reception centre, several measures have been taken to provide victims with rapid and adequate access to health care. The centre has signed agreements with some State entities, including the health services. Civil society organizations have also established similar centres.

63.With regard to the early identification of victims of trafficking, the National Agency regularly offers capacity-building sessions for the different actors who play a role in combating trafficking in persons. In September 2020, a national victim referral mechanism and a map of counter-trafficking actors were developed. Several awareness sessions have already been held to increase the visibility of these documents. However, for the time being, the Agency has not initiated any targeted training for the social workers who look after victims.

64.Measures to address the root causes of trafficking have been included in the draft decree on the special compensation fund. As indicated above, the Committee and the Agency are working towards the adoption of the decree.

65.In order to strengthen bilateral, regional and international cooperation aimed at detecting and preventing trafficking in women and girls, protecting victims and more easily prosecuting perpetrators, the National Committee to Coordinate Action against Trafficking in Persons and Illegal Trafficking of Migrants and the National Agency for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Illegal Trafficking of Migrants have established partnerships with other countries, including Senegal, Nigeria, Morocco and Mauritania. The two bodies participate in seminars, training sessions, study tours and other activities in these other countries.

Reply to paragraph 13 in the list of issues and questions

K.Participation in political and public life

66.There has been significant progress in terms of women’s representation in decision-making bodies. This includes the second revision, in 2019, of the law establishing gender quotas, by which the proportion of elective positions that must be occupied by women was raised from 15 to 25 per cent and the proportion of appointed positions that must be occupied by women was raised from 25 to 30 per cent. As a result of this law, the number of women parliamentarians increased from 29 out of 171 in the 2016 elections, to 50 out of 166 in 2021. Currently, 5 of the 33 government ministers are women. Out of 1,525 positions of responsibility in the civil service, only 178, or 11.67 per cent, are held by women.

67.Of 56 prefect posts, 2 are held by women. The Niger continues to work alongside other States to preserve international peace and security. It actively participates in the missions of the African Union and the United Nations. As at 31 January 2020, the Niger ranked twenty-second among the countries providing personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions, as a result of its deployment of 982 soldiers, police officers and experts to MINUSMA, MINUSCA, MONUSCO and MINUJUSTH. Women accounted for 5.3 per cent of those personnel.

68.Women make up approximately 3 per cent of the military, 10 per cent of the gendarmerie, 7 per cent of the National Guard and 15 per cent of the police. In view of the international, regional and national commitments made by the Niger, work remains to be done to improve women’s representation in the military contingent, in order to achieve the goals of United Nations Security Council resolution 2242 (2015) by achieving the target rate of 8.4 per cent by 2020, and the goals of the uniformed gender parity strategy, which the United Nations adopted in January 2019 with the aim of increasing the number of women in military contingents to 15 per cent and the number of women in formed police units to 20 per cent by 2028.

69.The tables below provide information on the proportions of women elected to parliament and municipal councils in the 2021 general elections.

Table 2

Distribution of women parliamentarians by region in 2021 (source: Independent National Electoral Commission)

Region	Men	Women	Percentage
Agadez	6	1
Diffa	6	2
Dosso	12	7
Maradi	22	10
Niamey	7	3
Tahoua	22	9
Tillabéri	18	8
Zinder	23	10
Total	116	50	30.21

Table 3

Women elected in municipal elections in 2021 (source: National Institute for Monitoring the Advancement of Women)

Region	Men	Women	Percentage
Agadez	137	61
Diffa	185	73
Dosso	358	140
Maradi	699	245
Niamey	24	8
Tahoua	597	228
Tillabéri	565	201
Zinder	701	256
Total	3 266	1 212	27.06

Reply to paragraph 14 in the list of issues and questions

L.Nationality

70.The National Action Plan to Fight Statelessness in the Niger was adopted by Decree No. 2019-501 of 10 September 2019. However, the Niger does not have a law for determining stateless status.

71.With regard to the determination of statelessness, on 13 November 2020, an order was issued establishing a technical committee tasked with revising the legal framework for asylum. The revision of the legal framework will also incorporate procedures for determining stateless status. A study on the situation of statelessness and the risk of statelessness in the Niger was conducted in 2020, with funding from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The results of the study are being published.

Reply to paragraphs 15, 16 and 17 in the list of issues and questions

M.Education

72.In 2020, the ministries in charge of education and vocational training drafted a document entitled “National Strategy for Accelerating Education and Training”, which provided for several measures aimed at eliminating child marriage in general, and the child marriage of girls in particular. Since 2020, awareness-raising sessions on the importance of girls’ education have been held for parents, traditional leaders and opinion leaders. The adoption of Decree No. 2017-935/PRN/MEP/A/PLN/EC/MES of 5 December 2017 on protection, support and care for girls in school constitutes a major step forward in the area of girls’ education.

73.Pursuant to article 8 of the Decree, the State and public authorities are responsible for ensuring access to and promotion of free, compulsory, quality public education for all children. Article 8 of Order No. 0025 of 4 February 2019, in which measures to protect, support and care for girls during their education are set out, provides that girls in education shall be able to continue their studies in the event of pregnancy or marriage. However, the period of leave taken after giving birth may not exceed 40 days, except in case of force majeure, to enable the girl in question to successfully complete the school year. Catch-up classes shall be provided if necessary. Disciplinary measures shall be taken against any school principal or teacher who refuses to allow a girl to re-enter school after she gives birth.

74.Beginning at the middle school level, the State has incorporated topics related to sexual education, reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases into educational curricula, as part of the subject of childcare, in order to reduce the number of girls who drop out of school as a result of unintended pregnancies. Thus, from 2017 to 2021, more than 500 teachers, or an average of 65 teachers per region, were trained on these topics and more than 6,000 girls, or an average of 700 girls per region, benefited from awareness campaigns. This has significantly reduced the number of pregnancies among girls in school.

75.The State, through the ministries in charge of education and training, has developed the Accelerated Strategy for the Education and Training of Girls and Women for 2020–2030. The goal of the Strategy is to contribute to the establishment of an education system that is free of all forms of gender inequality and inequity, and that guarantees girls and boys alike the conditions needed for access to, and retention and success in, both school and social and professional life.

76.With regard to the inclusion of girls and women with disabilities, the Strategy contains recommendations on organizing activities designed to encourage the families of girls and women with disabilities to enrol them in schools and training centres. To make schools and training centres accessible, it is essential that they be equipped with access ramps, suitable toilets and other amenities adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. In order to enable girls to have access to and remain in school, the State, through the Ministry of National Education, has adopted the following instruments:

•Decree No. 2017-935/PRN/MEP/A/PLN/EC/MES of 5 December 2017, on protection, support and care for girls in school, article 8 of which provides that the State and public authorities shall ensure access to and promotion of free, compulsory, quality public education for all children.

•Joint Decree No. 00335/MEP/A/PLN/EC/MES/MEP/T of 22 August 2019, amending and supplementing Decree No. 0025 of 4 February 2019 on measures to protect, support and care for girls during their education, of which the measures provided for in article 8 of the above-mentioned Decree No. 2017-935/PRN/MEP/A/PLN/EC/MES are illustrative. Paragraph 3 of the Joint Decree provides that disciplinary measures shall be taken against any school principal or teacher who refuses to allow a girl to re-enter school after she gives birth.

77.The above-mentioned decrees repeal Decision No. 65/MEN/DEST/EX of 10 July 1978.

78.As for the measures taken to promote women’s and girls’ access to all levels of education, the regulations on the granting of scholarships give preference to girls. For example, one of the criteria for the granting of State scholarships is that boys must have an average of 10.50/20, compared with 10/20 for girls. For science programmes, boys must have an average of 10/20, but for girls the requirement is 9.50/20. While there is no recent disaggregated data, statistics show that in 2018/19, there were a total of 16,446 scholarship students enrolled in public institutions in Niamey and the interior of the country, nearly half of whom (7,831 scholarship students) were at the University of Niamey alone.

79.In 2018/19, 3,316 scholarship recipients, including 1,245 students with cooperation scholarships, received financial support for students of the Niger studying abroad. The State spends more than CFAF 19 billion each year on scholarships.

80.In 2018, the State, through the Ministry of National Education, opened 1,062 adult literacy centres throughout the country. The centres were attended by 17,652 literate adults, of whom 12,635 were women (Ministry of Public Education statistical yearbook for 2017–2018). This followed the adoption of the curriculum document for a literacy and training campaign, pursuant to Order No. 000451 of 21 June 2017.

81.Beginning at the middle school level, the State has incorporated topics related to sexual education, reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases into educational curricula, as part of the subject of childcare, in order to reduce the number of girls who drop out of school as a result of unintended pregnancies. Thus, from 2017 to 2021, the Secondary School Support Department offered several training sessions for teachers of life and earth sciences and of home and social economics on reproductive health and sex education, as part of its support to schools. More than 500 teachers, or an average of 65 teachers per region, received training on these topics.

82.In addition, awareness-raising campaigns on the same topics have been organized for students in all the regions of the Niger. More than 6,000 girls, or an average of 700 girls per region, have benefited from these campaigns. This has significantly reduced the number of pregnancies among girls in school (source: Secondary School Support Department, Ministry of National Education). Training and awareness-building sessions on reproductive health for students are conducted by the State, through the Ministry of National Education and partners who work in areas related to reducing or eliminating school-age pregnancies.

83.Measures have been taken to implement the guidelines for protecting schools and universities from military use during armed conflicts, and to protect schools and universities from attacks and from being used for military purposes. These include the strengthening of the military presence in conflict zones and multiple training sessions given to the defence and security forces to make them aware of the rules of international humanitarian law relating to the protection of schools and universities against armed attacks.

Reply to paragraph 18 in the list of issues and questions

N.Employment

84.The General Civil Service Regulations and the Labour Code of the Republic of the Niger establish the principle of non-discrimination and set out requirements for equal treatment and equal access to employment for women. Moreover, article 4 of the decree regulating implementation of the Labour Code (Decree No. 2017-682/PRN/MET/PS of 10 August 2017) provides that “pursuant to article 5 of the Labour Code, all forms of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation are prohibited. ‘Discrimination’ means any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, age, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin, disability, sickle cell anaemia status, HIV/AIDS status, membership or non-membership in a trade union or the exercise of trade union activity that has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation, any other distinction, exclusion or preference which has the effect of destroying or impairing equal opportunity or treatment in respect of employment or occupation.”

85.The Niger also has women's employment policies and programmes in place that promote equal opportunities and treatment. These policies include the following:

National Employment Policy

•The general objective of the National Employment Policy is to place job creation at the centre of the development objectives of economic and social policies at the national, regional and local levels, with a view to reducing poverty in a sustainable manner and improving the living conditions of all people in the Niger.

•Specific objectives include:

–Developing and strengthening the employability of vulnerable groups through the acquisition and/or enhancement of professional qualifications

–Creating more employment and decent income opportunities for vulnerable groups such as women, youth and persons with disabilities

–Promoting and implementing international labour standards, including the fundamental principles and rights at work

National Youth Policy

•The aim of this policy is to “ensure that the youth of the Niger are empowered, responsible and an essential pillar of economic and social development and poverty reduction”. It is built on the following pillars:

–Pillar 1: Improving the legal and institutional framework.

–Pillar 2: Promoting the economic integration of young people.

–Pillar 3: Protecting youth.

–Pillar 4: Promoting social advancement and the participation of young people in development.

–Pillar 5: Advocating the inclusion and funding of a youth component in other policies. To better support youth, the Government intends to put a particular emphasis on entrepreneurship. Young people will be able to access credit more easily thanks to the establishment of youth guarantee funds that will operate at the local level. Support structures for young entrepreneurs will also be strengthened.

Youth Employment and Productive Inclusion Project

•The Government of the Niger is currently implementing the Youth Employment and Productive Inclusion Project, with financial support from the World Bank. This five-year project (for the period 2018–2023) is aimed at providing an appropriate response to the issue of unemployment and underemployment among young people in the Niger, in particular those living in rural areas. The aim is to provide support to 40,000 young people, 50 per cent of whom will be women.

•The objective of the project is to increase the income of young people in certain poor rural (component 1) and semi-urban (component 2) areas. All beneficiaries will receive training, through NGOs, in life skills and microentrepreneurship. Those participating in component 1 will receive training on village savings and loan associations, while those participating in component 2 will receive training in growth occupations identified in the agricultural value chain.

•At the end of the training, component 1 beneficiaries will receive grants and support to begin their income-generating activities, while component 2 will receive grants or kits, as well as support. Out of 20,735 registered beneficiaries, 11,346 – 54.71 per cent – are women. These women have received life skills training and are currently receiving Improve Your Business training, following which they will be given individual grants to finance their income-generating activities. Women participating in component 1 will each receive CFAF 100,000, while those in component 2 will receive CFAF 150,000.

Youth Workforce Entry Assistance Programme of the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment

•The Youth Workforce Entry Assistance Programme was established pursuant to Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Welfare Order No. 0884 MET/PS/ANPE/DG of 22 July 2016. Its primary objective is to enhance the employability of young people and promote their inclusion in the workforce. The Programme is for graduates of higher, technical and professional educational institutions looking for their first job, young people seeking retraining in order to change careers and those hoping to start an individual business or microproject. The Programme is being implemented by the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment. It is based on three tools:

–Introduction to Professional Life Contract, for graduates of higher, technical and professional educational institutions looking for their first job

–Career Change Contract, for graduates of higher, technical and professional educational institutions and employed persons seeking to change careers and acquire new technical skills

–Business Creation Assistance Programme, designed to promote an entrepreneurial spirit among young people and help them to start microprojects.

86.The following table gives an overview of the Introduction to Professional Life Contract for women.

Region	Number of beneficiaries	Number of women	Percentage
Agadez	336	124	36.9
Diffa	93	35	37.6
Dosso	194	138	71.1
Maradi	345	121	35.1
Niamey	775	336	43.3
Tahoua	154	66	42.9
Tillabéri	165	56	33.9
Zinder	389	190	48.8
Total	2 451	1 066	43.5

87.On the question of the extension of social protection schemes to all women, including those working in the informal sector, and the social security coverage for self-employed women and women entrepreneurs, the actuarial study of the social security system managed by the National Social Security Fund that was conducted in 2020 revealed that out of an estimated working population of 8 million in 2018, only 68,258 people (a rate of 1.1 per cent) are covered by the Fund. A new, more ambitious phase is now needed to extend the pension scheme to the groups in the Niger who are not currently covered and to take measures to encourage their integration into the social protection system managed by the Fund.

88.This group of people in the Niger who are not covered by a social protection system is extremely heterogeneous. It includes liberal professions that are sometimes highly structured (for example, through lawyers’ and doctors’ associations) but also employees in the informal sector, agricultural workers, casual workers, merchants and artisans.

89.Information on the target subpopulations should be obtained in several stages. through:

•Discussion of the characteristics of the different subgroups (such as liberal professions, agricultural workers, street vendors and domestic workers) that require different solutions from the point of view of social protection.

•Collection of quantitative information on these groups, including number, family and professional structure, geographical distribution, age pyramid, average income, life expectancy and morbidity.

•Collection of qualitative information, through discussions with the organizations that represent these groups (professional associations of the liberal professions, for example) or through contacts with institutions with experience of working with them. A better understanding of the issues specific to each subgroup is necessary. One of the difficulties involved in the exercise will be the definition of reasonable needs, in relation to each subgroup’s ability to make contributions.

90.In addition to analysing the target group, it is important for the Fund to learn from experience in other countries. That experience might not necessarily be applicable in the Niger “as is”, but the problems that will have been encountered are generally the same and, as such, interesting and useful conclusions may be drawn.

91.Regarding the amendment of article 45 of the Labour Code to broaden the definition of sexual harassment and the scope of the persons to whom it applies, the National Committee for the Review and Reform of the Penal Code and the Code of Procedure established on 9 February 2022 will address the issue. Once the new text is adopted, a broad dissemination and awareness-raising campaign will be conducted to inform victims of sexual harassment of the remedies available to them.

92.Regarding the ratification of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), pursuant to article 19 of the ILO Constitution, the Government has sent its submission report and original copies of Convention No. 189 to the National Assembly for its information. Although the Niger has not yet ratified the Convention, it can be a source of inspiration for legislators. Because of the prerequisites that this text imposes on States Parties, consultations are continuing to establish the conditions for ratification, especially since the Niger once again accepted the related recommendation during its universal periodic review in September 2021.

Reply to paragraph 19 in the list of issues and questions

O.Health

93.The Niger has made considerable progress in the field of health. Life expectancy at birth has increased from less than 40 years in the 1960s to 65.5 years in 2017, mainly owing to the rapid decline in the under-5 mortality rate, which fell significantly from 1998 to 2021, from 274 per 1,000 to 123 per 1,000, according to the Demographic and Health Survey 98 and National Fertility and Infant Mortality Survey 21, respectively.

94.The policy of free health care for pregnant women and children under 5 years of age has contributed to the improvement of indicators through the monitoring of pregnant women, childbirth care and monitoring of vaccinations and nutrition among young children. However, the level of maternal mortality remains a concern. It was 520 per 100,000 live births in 2015. The persistence of the relatively high maternal mortality rate and the rate of child mortality related to stunting is attributable to the inadequate quality of health services, particularly in rural areas, and to the high number of high-risk pregnancies associated with the continued high fertility rate.

95.More specifically, with regard to children, there is a high mortality rate linked to acute malnutrition, particularly in rural areas, and to the low immunization coverage rate. Despite the progress made in recent years, the Niger is still far from reaching its 95.5 per cent immunization coverage target. In 2018, 46 per cent of deaths among children under 5 were the result of preventable diseases (pneumonia, diarrhoea, meningitis, measles and neonatal tetanus).

96.The national health-care coverage rate, which was 52.68 per cent in 2020, increased by 2.55 per cent in 2021. Broken down by region, it is 68.41 per cent in Agadez, 99.09 per cent in Niamey, 47.58 per cent in Diffa, 50.10 per cent in Dosso, 51.13 per cent in Tahoua, 49.90 per cent in Tillabéri and 50.00 per cent in Zinder.

97.The epidemiological situation in recent years has been marked mainly by the COVID-19 pandemic. All regions have been affected. As at 22 August 2022, 280,691 people have been tested, of whom 9,250 tested positive, 8,847 have been declared disease-free, 312 have died and 91 remain hospitalized.

98.On the issue of abortion, there have been no changes in the law since the last report. Sociocultural constraints and the importance of religion stand in the way of the population considering the possibility of legalizing abortion in serious situations such as rape or incest. Advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns conducted by civil society actors and women’s associations active in the field of reproductive health do not seem to have had any effect, owing to abortion remaining a matter of taboo.

99.As part of the reform of the Penal Code initiated by the Government in February 2022, instruments related to abortion will be discussed in connection with pregnancy as a result of rape and incest or when the continuation of a pregnancy threatens the life or health of the woman or in cases of serious fetal malformation

100.The Niger was known for having one of the highest national fertility rates. According to the latest survey, conducted in 2021 by the National Institute of Statistics, the average number of children per woman has dropped to 6.2, approximately the same level as in many other African countries.

101.The rate of use of modern contraceptives among married women has increased to 18.6 per cent. Between July 2017 and July 2018, the use of modern contraceptives prevented more than 206,000 unintended pregnancies, 73,000 unsafe abortions and 840 maternal deaths. However, 19.8 per cent of married women of 15 to 49 years of age cannot obtain the modern contraception they need. Starting in 2018, the Government has committed itself to mobilizing the current budget line of CFAF 200,000,000 ($350,000) for medical consumables and contraceptive products. This budget item increased by at least 10 per cent per year until 2020.

102.The main advances that contributed to the achievement of those results were the revitalization of “youth-friendly” health centres, the provision of contraceptive products to such health centres, the implementation of strategies involving community actors (rapid results initiatives and community-based distribution), and the organization of awareness-raising caravans and the proactive supply of reproductive health care to mothers and children in the regions. Family planning priorities include increasing the number of points of access to reproductive health and family planning services for youth and adolescents, both in school and out-of-school settings.

103.The 8 per cent of the budget allocated to health has made it possible to build new infrastructure, including two referral hospitals and a cancer centre, to improve technical facilities, to recruit several thousand health workers, including more than a thousand doctors over 10 years, and to guarantee regular supplies of medicines. This has resulted in improved indicators for access to care, advances in reproductive health, improved child nutrition, better surveillance of communicable diseases, immunization sessions, reduced maternal and infant mortality and improved resilience of the health system.

104.The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with its technical and financial partners, implemented its fourth health development plan, covering the years from 2017 to 2021, which is in line with the main thrusts of the national health policy, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Prime Minister’s general policy statement, adopted by the National Assembly in May 2021.

105.The general policy statement focuses on improving maternal and child health, where efforts will be aimed at strengthening the quality of prenatal, neonatal and postnatal care, assisted delivery, immunization campaigns and diagnoses and the prompt and effective treatment of diseases. Nutritional care will also be reinforced. In the field of reproductive health, the focus will be on strengthening the availability and operational capacity of family planning in health facilities and at the community level.

106.To promote the exercise by women of their sexual and reproductive health rights, a communication plan including all relevant aspects has been developed and implemented with the support of civil society and community-based organizations. The traditional chieftains and religious leaders, because of their influence on the communities, make a broad contribution. It is also worth noting the achievements of the “Schools for husbands and future husbands”, which are spaces designed to encourage men to eliminate certain prejudices that hinder women’s access to health facilities.

107.On the question of increasing the relevant budget, the health sector of the Niger suffers from a lack of public funding. The funds allocated to the health sector by the State are insufficient to meet the growing needs of the population. Over the last five years, the share of the government budget allocated to health has not reached the 10 per cent recommended by the World Health Organization, let alone the 15 per cent pledged by African Heads of State in Abuja in 2001. It grew from 5.58 per cent in 2017 to 5.74 per cent in 2019 (Source: Health Accounts 2019).

108.Health is financed from several sources, including the Government, households and development partners. Direct payments by households are the second largest source of financing for health, accounting for 46.09 per cent or CFAF 197.670 billion in 2019, compared to CFAF 184.726 billion (48.79 per cent) in 2018. The share covered by households remains very high, relative to the income level of the population. This situation is not without consequences for the performance of the health system, because it has a negative impact on the use of health services and the quality of care.

109.The breakdown by gender of current health expenditure shows that in 2019, resources devoted to women accounted for 66.90 per cent (CFAF 286.908 billion), compared to 69.56 per cent in 2018. Spending on reproductive health was estimated at CFAF 30.387 billion in 2019, or 7.09 per cent of total current health expenditure.

110.Regarding family planning, since 2018 the Government has committed itself to mobilizing a budget line of CFAF 200,000,000 ($350,000) for the purchase of contraceptive products and medical consumables. This budget item increases by at least 10 per year. Discussions are under way related to the development of new strategies to mobilize resources through taxation or parafiscal levies as well as through innovative financing.

111.Since 2018, the Niger has had a National Centre for the Control of Cancer with a mission to prevent and treat the disease.

112.The Government continues to develop strategies to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality by strengthening maternal death response and surveillance and by repositioning family planning with a focus on young people and adolescents. Emergency obstetric and neonatal care is also being strengthened throughout the country’s health facilities, including at the community level. Initiatives to reduce the cost of care for both normal and complicated deliveries have been supported, with the aim of making them free of charge from 2019.

113.Multisectoral collaboration between the line ministries (responsible for health, population, education and training, planning, etc.) is being strengthened in the context of population control in order to accelerate the demographic dividend in the Niger.

114.The Government acknowledges the technical advice provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the application of a human rights-based approach to the implementation of policies and programmes to reduce preventable maternal morbidity and mortality.

Reply to paragraph 20 in the list of issues and questions

P.Refugee, asylum-seeking, displaced and migrant women

115.Articles 6, 9 and 10 of Act No. 97-016 of 20 June 1997 on the status of refugees in the Niger provide that applicants for refugee status and those granted such status may only be expelled, returned or extradited from the territory of the Niger for reasons of national security and public order. No refugee may be expelled, returned or extradited across the borders of territories where his or her life or freedom would be threatened on account of his or her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.

116.In the exercise of employment or self-employment, refugees legally admitted to the territory of the Niger enjoy the same rights as nationals of the country that has concluded the most favourable establishment agreement with the Niger.

117.Refugees legally admitted to the Niger receive the same treatment as nationals with respect to access to education, health, housing, security of person and property and freedom of residence and movement.

118.Being a country of departure, destination and transit for migrants, the Niger lies at the heart of migration challenges. It experiences migration to countries in the subregion and the West, migrants in transit who cross the country on the way to other destinations, refugees who flee insecurity in their countries to find asylum in the Niger and migrants who return from countries of destination. To better respect the rights of migrants, refugees and other displaced persons, a new transit and orientation centre was opened on 19 August 2022.

119.Migrants coming from Libya or Algeria or those who are rescued in the desert during their attempt to reach the North African coast will be housed in this centre while awaiting their return to their countries of origin. Built on one and a half hectares of land, the facility has 500 beds, divided into 10 dormitories, 7 of which are reserved for women and children and 3 of which are reserved for men. Sanitary and ablution facilities, rest halls, kitchens, an administrative building and an infirmary are also provided for the occupants. In total, it is estimated that 4,000 people will be able to stay there each year.

Reply to paragraph 21 in the list of issues and questions

Q.Rural women

120.In the Niger, very few women own land despite the favourable provisions of Qur’anic law and the Civil Code in this regard. To remedy this discrimination against women, the Niger adopted Ordinance No. 1993-15 of 2 March 1993 establishing the guiding principles of the Rural Code, whose article 4 provides that “rural natural resources shall be included in the nation’s common heritage. All people of the Niger shall have an equal right to access thereto without discrimination on the basis of gender or social origin.” Moreover, access to State public and private property is granted at the discretion of the authorities, enabling positive discrimination in the interests of women and other vulnerable groups. To address this issue in a holistic manner, a national land policy has been drafted and approved and is in the process of being adopted.

121.While persons enjoy the same rights in matters of inheritance under the Civil Code, this is not the case under customary law, where inheritance is sometimes unequal. Nevertheless, customary rules, which for the most part draw on Islam, recognize a woman’s right to inherit land. The courts of the Niger that apply customary law ensure that this right is respected strictly. They do not hesitate to overrule any custom that excludes women from the right to inherit land, based on the non-conformity of these customs with public order or with the international agreements and conventions ratified by the Niger. Fortunately, the courts of the Niger can apply international agreements and conventions automatically.

122.One example of a court decision granting women the right to inherit land is customary judgment No. 036 of 17 May 2002 of the Court of Niamey, which recognized that under Djerma customary law, a sister must inherit the field left by her brother without descendants, and ruled that the field must be shared between F. W., the sole direct heir, and her cousins. Another example is judgment No. 12 of 2 May 2008 of the Special Regional Court of Niamey, which upheld judgment No. 18 of 20 May 2005 of the judge of Niamey’s Commune II district, insofar as he declared Mrs. Mariama Abdou to be the owner of a disputed field because she inherited it from her father.

123.Inheritance in the Niger is also governed by the Civil Code, in addition to by customary rules. Parties choose which legal norm should be applied. Inheritance is provided for in articles 718 to 892 of the Civil Code, which sets out, inter alia, the conditions for opening an inheritance process, the necessary conditions for inheritance, the various forms of inheritance and the conditions for representation. However, it must be recognized that although inheritance in civil law obeys the principle of equality of inheritance between children of the deceased, regardless of their gender, that is not the case in customary law. Under customary law, succession follows the custom of the deceased and the share of the estate depends on the gender and the degree of relationship between the successor and the deceased.

124.Women’s economic empowerment is promoted as a poverty reduction strategy and, as a result, the Government has made it one of its priorities. In this regard, training sessions and day-long events have been organized for parliamentarians, particularly those on the National Assembly’s Finance Committee, to take gender-sensitive budgeting issues into account.

125.In order to ensure that gender issues are taken into account in all rural development policies and plans, through the participation of women in the drafting, adoption and implementation of national policies and programmes concerning food security, climate change, disaster response and risk reduction, gender units have been created within the ministries responsible for different sectors. Accordingly, there is a National Gender Promotion Monitoring Centre whose main role is to ensure that gender is taken into account in all areas. In 2017 it reviewed the national gender policy and then drew up its 2018–2022 action plan. The process of drafting this action plan was highly participative and all sectors were invited to become involved in programme planning in their respective areas.

Reply to paragraph 22 in the list of issues and questions

R.Economic empowerment of women

126.To improve the economic situation of women, the Government has developed a National Strategy for Women’s Economic Empowerment and a 2018–2022 action plan, in addition to a consultation framework that was established in 2019. The overall objective of this Strategy is to “Promote the economic empowerment of women in the Niger through the development and consolidation of a culture of income-generating activities and entrepreneurship in order to contribute to equality and equity in rights and opportunities between women and men.” The Consultative Framework for the implementation of the National Strategy for Women’s Economic Empowerment and the implementation of the project known as “50,000,000 women have the floor” aim to unite women in the Economic Community of West African States region through information and communications technology.

127.As part of the implementation of this Strategy, the Government and its partners have carried out many activities, including the financing of a large number of microprojects and income-generating activities for members of women’s groups and economic interest groups. These income-generating activities mainly concern market gardening, cattle- and sheep-raising, the retail of agricultural supplies, cattle feed banks, food services and petty trading.

128.It is also worth noting that microloans are granted to women by microfinance institutions through women’s groups and economic interest groups (e.g., Mutuelle d’Epargne et de Crédit des Femmes (Women’s Mutual Savings and Loans) and Capital Finance), and that market gardening equipment and seed are supplied to women’s groups. Also, the implementation of the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend has enabled training and the provision of supplies to 94 girls.

129.In conclusion, we note that women’s empowerment remains weak in view of the large-scale gender inequalities that persist in the country but the political will to take gender issues into account remains unshakeable as evidenced by, among other things, the implementation of strategies and numerous programmes and projects aimed at women and girls.

130.Regarding the issue of the social protection of self-employed women and women entrepreneurs in micro- and small enterprises, the 2022 actuarial study of the social security scheme managed by the National Social Security Fund revealed that out of an estimated working population of 8 million in 2018, only 68,258 people (1.1 per cent) are covered by the Fund. A new, more ambitious stage is now needed to extend the pension scheme to groups of the population who are not currently covered, and to take measures to encourage their integration into the social protection system managed by the Fund.

Reply to paragraph 23 in the list of issues and questions

S.Marriage and family relations

131.Section one of the Civil Code, which governs the rights of individuals and the family, does not in fact establish any difference between the treatment of men and women with regard to marriage, divorce, filiation, inheritance and their guarantees, with the exception of the difference in the age required to marry between girls and boys. However, it should be noted that in order to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 years for both girls and boys, the Government has initiated a reform of the Civil Code that is currently under way.

132.Although they have the right to choose either of the legal standards in effect in our country, in matters of marriage and family relations most citizens of the Niger opt for customary law, despite the fact that it is based on case law. Nevertheless, Act No. 2018-37 of 1 June 2018 affords precedence to the woman’s customs in case of conflict with those of her husband in matters concerning marriage, divorce or guardianship of the child and the fate of the wife in the event of the termination of a marriage through divorce, repudiation or death of one of the spouses.

133.The application of the national law is nevertheless permitted when the parties have so agreed, or where one of them unequivocally renounces the other option. It should be noted that, in addition to the pre-eminence of civil law, a woman has a range of choices regarding the laws she wishes to have applied in relation to marriage and the family, which is undoubtedly a real guarantee.

134.Numerous actions have been taken to prohibit, including under customary law, harmful practices associated with child marriage, forced marriage, polygamy and repudiation, and to conduct awareness-raising campaigns among parliamentarians, traditional chieftains and religious leaders and the general public on the harmful effects of these practices on women and girls. These actions include the drafting of a strategic action plan to end child and forced marriage; the “Illimin” initiative for adolescent girls in the Niger, which aims to reduce teenage marriage and delay early pregnancies; and the sensitization of traditional chieftains and religious leaders and the general public to the harmful effects of these practices on women and girls. There is a growing awareness, especially on the part of traditional chieftains who are opposed to these kinds of practices.

135.At the symposium to mobilize traditional leaders in view of the demographic transition, the Association of Traditional Chieftains of the Niger, which has more than 300 members, made the following commitment in the presence of the Head of State, who presided over the event: “We traditional chieftains commit ourselves not to take as wives girls under 18 years of age and to combat the marriage of girls under 18 years of age and we invite the other authorities to follow our example.” This statement is of great importance in a country where out of every 10 married girls, 8 were married before the age of 18, a 77 per cent early marriage rate.

136.Regarding the steps taken to bring about the ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, awareness sessions are continuing. It may be recalled that the Niger signed the text on 11 July 2003 but has not yet ratified it. There were two attempts to have it ratified in 2006 and 2007 but each time ratification was rejected on the grounds that the text contained provisions considered by a certain category of the population to be contrary to the sociocultural realities of the country.

137.The difficulties encountered relate to the fact that certain articles of the Protocol (article 6 (b), article 6 (f), article 7 (d), article 14 (b), and article 21) are not in line with the provisions of the Islamic precepts that govern the daily lives of more than 99 per cent of the population. Those provisions focus primarily on:

•The concept of “equity” in relation to the division, in the event of divorce, of the common property acquired during the marriage and in relation to the right of succession

•Decisions on the number of children

•Legalizing abortion in cases of rape or incest

•Raising the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18

138.Subsequent to this rejection of the Protocol, the Government adopted a participative approach by involving all social strata in discussions aimed at disseminating the full content of the Protocol and raising awareness among its opponents in order to obtain broad support.

139.In December 2018, the African Union Commission held a high-level consultation at African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa to ask the 14 African countries that had not yet ratified the Protocol to accelerate the process and do so before December 2020. Unfortunately, the process is still ongoing where the Niger is concerned.

Reply to paragraph 24 in the list of issues and questions

T.Disadvantaged and marginalized groups of women

140.In the Niger, the most recent general population census was conducted in 2012 and the data that were collected are currently outdated. We do not have reliable statistics, disaggregated by age, ethnicity, nationality, geographical location and socioeconomic background, on the situation of women belonging to disadvantaged or marginalized groups, such as indigenous women, rural women, women belonging to ethnic minorities, migrant, asylum-seeking and refugee women, older women, women affected by poverty, homeless women and girls, women with disabilities or women who take care of family members with disabilities or older family members, in all areas covered by the Convention. These questions will be considered in the next census, which is scheduled for this year. Nevertheless, the Niger reaffirms, as it has always done in its interactions with treaty- and Charter-based bodies, that there are no such indigenous or marginalized populations or ethnic groups within its borders.

Reply to paragraph 24 in the list of issues and questions

U.Additional information

141.The legal framework in the Niger has evolved since the previous report. Indeed, from 2017 to the present day, many international instruments have been ratified and legislative and regulatory texts related to combating discrimination against women have been adopted. These include:

At the international level

•ILO Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), ratified by the Niger on 6 June 2018

•ILO Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144), ratified by the Niger on 15 March 2018

•ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183), ratified by the Niger on 10 June 2019

•Statute of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Women Development Organization, ratified on 21 April 2017

•Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, signed on 29 May 1993 in The Hague, to which the Niger acceded on 24 May 2018

•Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, adopted on 26 November 1968 in New York, to which the Niger acceded on 6 May 2019

At the regional level

•Additional Protocol A/P/SP1/7/93 supplementing the provisions of article 7 of the Protocol relating to Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment, adopted on 30 June 1989 in Ouagadougou, ratified on 24 May 2017

•Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security, adopted on 10 December 1999 in Lomé, ratified on 24 May 2017

•Bangui Agreement Instituting an African Intellectual Property Organization – Act Of December 14, 2015, signed at Bamako, ratified on 24 May 2017

•Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, adopted on 21 March 2018 in Kigali, ratified on 16 May 2018

•African Charter on Values and Principles of Public Service and Administration, adopted on 31 January 2011 in Addis Ababa, ratified on 13 May 2019

•Additional Protocol A/P/SP1/7/93 supplementing the provisions of article 7 of the Protocol relating to Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment, adopted on 30 June 1989 in Ouagadougou, ratified on 24 May 2017

At the national level

•Act No. 2017-005 of 31 March 2017 establishing community service

•Act No. 2017-006 of 31 March 2017 establishing the basic principles of civil protection

•Act No. 2017-08 of 31 March 2017 establishing the basic principles of the prison system in the Niger

•Act No. 2017-009 of 31 March 2017 establishing the autonomous statute for prison administration staff

•Act No. 2017-20/PRN/MDH of 12 April 2017 establishing the fundamental principles for urban management and urban planning

•Act No. 2017-028 of 3 May 2017 on the protection of personal data

•Act No. 2017-03 of 30 June 2017 establishing the mining law

•Organic Act No. 2017-64 of 14 August 2017 on the Electoral Code of the Niger

•Act No. 2018-20 of 27 April 2018 on interprofessional agricultural organizations in the Niger

•Act No. 2018-22 of 27 April 2018 establishing the basic principles of social protection

•Act No. 2018-23 of 27 April 2018 on audiovisual communication

•Act No. 2018-24 of 27 April 2018 on the statute for judicial appointees in the Republic of the Niger

•Act No. 2018-25 of 27 April 2018 establishing the basic principles for construction and housing

•Act No. 2018-28 of 14 May 2018 establishing the basic principles of environmental assessment

•Act No. 2018-31 of 16 May 2018 amending and supplementing Act No. 2012-34 of 7 June 2012 on the composition, responsibilities, organization and operation of the High Council for Communications

•Act No. 2018-35 of 24 May 2018 on the statute for notaries

•Act No. 2018-36 of 24 May 2018 on the statute for the judiciary

•Act No. 2018-37 of 1 June 2018 establishing the organization and jurisdiction of the courts in the Republic of the Niger

•Act No. 2018-43 of 22 June 2018, amending and supplementing Act No. 2000-06 of 7 June 2000, regulating business agents

•Act No. 2018-45 of 12 July 2018 regulating electronic commerce

•Act No. 2018-47 of 12 July 2018 on the creation, organization and operation of the regulatory authority for electronic communications and postal services

•Act No. 2018-74 of 10 December 2018 on protection and assistance for internally displaced persons

•Act No. 2018-88 of 19 December 2018 establishing weights and measures offences

•Act No. 2019-25 of 27 June 2019 amending and supplementing Ordinance No. 2010-84 of 16 December 2010 on the Charter of Political Parties

•Act No. 2019-38 of 19 July 2019 amending the Electoral Code

•Act No. 2019-28 of 1 July 2019 establishing the means for the free exercise of religion in the Republic of the Niger

•Act No. 2019-29 of 1 July 2019 on the civil status regime in the Niger

•Act No. 2019-33 of 3 July 2019 on the repression of cybercrime in the Niger

•Act No. 2019-062 of 10 December 2019 establishing fundamental principles for the integration of persons with disabilities

•Act No. 2019-69 of 24 December 2019 amending and supplementing Act No. 2000-008 of 7 June 2000 instituting a quota system for elected posts in the Government and in the State administration

•Act No. 2020-05 of 11 May 2020 on the criminalization of torture

•Act No. 2020-02 of 6 May 2020 establishing the national mechanism for the prevention of torture

•Act No. 2020-019 of 3 June 2020 on the interception of certain communications sent by electronic means

•Act No. 2020-031 of 22 July 2020 amending and supplementing Act No. 2018-37 of 1 June 2018 on the organization of the judiciary

•Act No. 2020-036 of 30 July 2020 amending and supplementing the organic law on the organization and functioning of the Constitutional Court

•Act No. 2020-035 of 30 July 2020 establishing the responsibilities, composition, organization and functioning of the Court of Auditors

•Act No. 2020-037 of 12 October 2020 establishing a criminal chamber in the Regional Courts

•Act No. 2020-057 of 9 November 2020 establishing the autonomous statute for the police

•Act No. 2022-022 of 30 May 2022 on enforced disappearance

•Act No. 2022-027 of 20 June 2022 establishing the rights and duties of human rights defenders

•Act No. 2022-029 of 23 June 2022 amending the statute for the opposition

•Act No. 2022-030 of 23 June 2022 amending Act No. 2019-33 of 3 July 2019 on the suppression of cybercrime

•Act No. 2022-033 of 5 July 2022 on the mining law

•Decree No. 2017-052/PRN/MC of 25 January 2017 governing advertising in the press

•Decree No. 2017-098/PRN/MJ of 17 February 2017 approving the statutes of the Judicial Training School of the Niger

•Decree No. 2017-283/PRN/MJ of 13 April 2017 amending and supplementing the annex to Decree No. 2004-198/PRN/MJ of 9 July 2004 on application of Act No. 98-06 of 29 April 1998 on the statute for notaries

•Decree No. 2017-284/PRN/MJ/MC/PSP/MJ/MF of 13 April 2017 amending Decree No. 2014- 503/PRN/MC/PSP/MJ of 31 July 2014 on application of the provisions of articles 10, 11, 311, 313 and 314 of the Uniform Act on the law of commercial companies and economic interest groups

•Decree No. 2017-682/PRN/MET/PS of 10 August 2017 on adoption of the regulations of the Labour Code

•Decree No. 2017-764/PRN/MSP of 29 September 2017 establishing the National Association of Physicians

•Decree No. 2017-765/PRN/MSP of 29 September 2017 establishing the National Association of Pharmacists

•Decree No. 2017-766/PRN/MSP of 29 September 2017 establishing the National Association of Dental Surgeons

•Decree No. 2017-767/PRN/MSP of 29 September 2017 establishing the National Association of Nurses

•Decree No. 2017-768/PRN/MSP of 29 September 2017 establishing the National Association of Midwives

•Decree No. 2017-935/PRN/MEP/APLN/MES of 5 December 2017 on protection, assistance and support for girls attending school

•Decree No. 2018-303/PRN/MD/U/L of 30 April 2018 on application of Act No. 2018-25 of 27 April 2018 establishing the fundamental principles for construction and housing

•Decree No. 2018-310/PRN/MJS of 4 May 2018 establishing a National Fund for the Development of Sport

•Decree No. 2019-231 bis of 29 April 2019 amending Decree No. 2017-668/PRN of 2 August 2017 approving the statute for the Food and Nutritional Security Investment Fund

•Decree No. 2019-137/PRN/MJ of 1 March 2019 approving the combined twenty-second to twenty-fifth national periodic reports on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

•Decree No. 2019-369/PRN/MPF/PE of 19 July 2019 on the establishment, powers, composition and functioning of children’s committees at the national, regional, departmental, communal, village and tribal levels

•Decree No. 2019-304 of 7 June 2019 on the missions, organization and functioning of the Inspectorate General of Judicial and Penitentiary Services

•Decree No. 2019-501 of 10 September 2019 adopting the National Action Plan to Fight Statelessness in the Niger

•Decree No. 2020-670 of 26 August 2020 on the implementation of the Act establishing the quota system in elected offices, in Government and in the administration of the State, etc.