Human Rights Committee

145th session

Geneva, 2–19 March 2026

Consideration of reports submitted by States Parties under article 40 of the Covenant

Replies of Chad to the list of issues in relation to its third periodic report *

[Date received: 12 December 2025]

Constitutional and legal framework within which the Covenant is implemented (art. 2)

1.The various provisions of the Covenant have been incorporated into national legislation, and the domestic courts regularly refer to or cite this legislation in the decisions they take. No specific measures have been taken to disseminate the Covenant. However, when the periodic reports relating to the Covenant are being drafted, sessions are held to present its provisions to participants. The Government, through the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, is working with partners to organize training sessions for the judiciary, as well as awareness-raising sessions on the Covenant. The Government is committed to ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the Covenant, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. The ratification procedure has been initiated.

2.In accordance with article 210 of the Constitution of 29 December 2024, the National Human Rights Commission is an independent administrative authority. The Commission may choose independently the issues it examines on its own initiative. It is entirely free to issue opinions, which it transmits to the President of the Republic and disseminates to the general public.

3.Article 2 of Act No. 028/PR/2018 of 22 November 2018 on the powers, organization and functioning of the Commission states that it is an independent administrative authority for the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, with legal personality and financial autonomy. In addition, article 21 of the Act provides that no member of the Commission may be prosecuted, sought, arrested, detained or tried in connection with opinions expressed during or after his or her term of office, or for opinions or votes cast in the exercise of his or her functions.

4.The Commission’s members are appointed by votes taken among the membership of the bodies from which they are drawn, under the supervision of an ad hoc committee headed by the Chair of the Law, General Policy, Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms Committee of the National Assembly. The Commission’s plenary assembly constitutes a further guarantee of its independence. Pluralism and gender representation, including religious, ethnic and regional balance, are taken into account and safeguarded in articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution of 29 December 2023 and articles 11 and 15 of the Act on the powers, organization and functioning of the Commission.

5.The Commission’s current composition reflects the diversity of Chadian society. Its members, selected by the ad hoc committee following a transparent process and appointed for their competence, integrity and commitment to human rights, represent the country’s different provinces and the nation’s key stakeholders, including civil society, the Bar Association, academia and trade unions. This pluralism is the cornerstone of the credibility and legitimacy of the country’s National Human Rights Commission.

Past human rights violations (arts. 2, 6, 7, 9 and 25)

6.With regard to reparation for victims of the regime of former President Hissène Habré, the Head of State, Marshal Mahamat Idris Deby Itno, has ordered the payment to them of 10 billion CFA francs (CFAF). The number of victims compensated is not yet available, as the victims’ platform that organized the payments has not yet submitted its report.

Anti-corruption measures

7.In order to combat corruption effectively, the Government, on 1 August 2023, established the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority, which is tasked with preventing and punishing that phenomenon.

8.On International Anti-Corruption Day (9 December), the Authority took the opportunity to set out the measures it has taken in a number of public and private institutions and as part of projects in 2025. Several cases of corruption have been identified. Some perpetrators have been relieved of their posts and are being prosecuted, while others have been convicted. In addition, some State property has been recovered. The Government is thus engaged in a relentless fight against corruption through this body.

9.The Independent Anti-Corruption Authority has called on the members of the public to make this fight their own, saying: “Corruption shatters dreams and impedes development. Do not hesitate to report cases of abuse or misappropriation of public funds and property. The 1222 number is available free of charge for anyone wishing to make such a report.”

Violence against women, including domestic violence, and harmful traditional practices

10.No new general survey data have been produced in the last five years. The official statistics used remain those for 2019. However, systematic data collection by the technical services of the Ministry for Women ensures that up-to-date information is available on cases of violence (these data have not yet been validated at the national level and thus remain limited).

11.In 2023, 8,470 cases of all forms of violence were recorded, of which 6,171, or 72.85 per cent, involved violence against women. Of the victims in these cases, 100 per cent received psychosocial support, 77.76 per cent socioeconomic support, 12.31 per cent legal assistance and 28.35 per cent medical care.

12.In 2024, 8,624 cases were recorded, including 6,627 involving violence against women, representing 76.84 per cent of the total. The support provided can be broken down as follows: 100 per cent of victims received psychosocial support, 71.15 per cent socioeconomic support, 15.98 per cent legal assistance and 30.77 per cent medical care.

13.The increase in the number of cases reported between 2023 and 2024 is attributable in particular to the revitalization of the1390 helpline, the increase in the number of specialized support centres and growing awareness of the consequences of violence, fostered by the stepping up of awareness-raising campaigns across the country.

14.Each year, awareness-raising campaigns to promote behavioural change and training on human rights and gender-based violence, along with efforts to educate the general public about legal instruments, are conducted throughout Chad. These initiatives, implemented through various channels and strategies, are stepped up on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, the International Day of Rural Women, the National Week of Chadian Women and International Women’s Day. To ensure greater reach, the use of local languages and dialects is routinely favoured.

15.These campaigns have raised awareness among a wide audience: women, men, young people, community and religious leaders, traditional authorities, secondary school teachers and school administrators. In addition, criminal investigation officers, judges and prosecutors, bailiffs and other court officers have benefited from capacity-building on the protection of women’s rights.

16.An assessment has been carried out of the National Gender Policy, the action plan for which expired at the end of 2023, allowing for the review and technical approval of the policy’s second iteration in October 2025. The National Strategy to Combat Gender-based Violence has also been revised for the period 2023–2027 and is accompanied by a budgeted action plan for 2024–2027 (CFAF 4,163,380,000) and a strategic communication plan for 2025–2027.

17.In addition, a third iteration of the road map against female genital mutilation and child marriage has been adopted for the period 2024–2026.

18.Four integrated multisectoral service centres were set up in N’Djamena in 2022. From 2023 to 2025, a further seven centres were opened in the provinces to cover rural areas. The expansion process is being pursued in order to guarantee local, appropriate and comprehensive services. These centres offer free medical, psychosocial, legal/judicial and socioeconomic integration services in one place.

19.A memorandum of understanding has been signed between government bodies and United Nations agencies (the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)), as well as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to strengthen holistic care. In addition, a partnership concluded with the Chad Bar Association allows free legal assistance to be provided for victims.

20.Lastly, the socioeconomic reintegration component, which had long been underdeveloped, has been revitalized thanks to the relaunch of the multifunctional centre of the Maison nationale de la femme (National Women’s House) and the establishment of new training centres in four provinces.

Infant and maternal mortality and sexual and reproductive rights

21.The maternal mortality rate in Chad remains one of the highest in the world. The ratio rose from 827 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1997 to 860 in 2015, with a peak of 1,099 in 2004. In 2015, maternal deaths accounted for 45 per cent of deaths among women aged15–49. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the ratio at 1,140, the second highest in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2023), the ratio is 748, with a lifetime risk of maternal death for women of 1 in 24 – the highest in the world.

22.The curve below shows the decline in mortality in Chad between 1996 and 2023, which has been particularly slow.

Source: Demographic and health surveys, WHO and Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.

23.The under-5 mortality rate has fallen from over 200 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 122 in 2019, albeit with marked disparities in rural areas. Aggravating factors include limited access to healthcare, poverty and low levels of maternal education.

Key measures taken in favour of mothers and children

(a)Family planning

24.Chad has made significant progress in this area, with the adoption of the ordinance on contraception, introduction of free services, development of the National Family Planning Programme (revised in 2021), training of providers, expansion of the range of contraceptives available, commitment to the Family Planning 2020 and Family Planning 2030 partnerships, and allocation of resources from the national budget since 2021.

(b)Antenatal consultations

25.Refocused antenatal consultations are promoted through regulatory documents and provider training. However, coverage remains insufficient to have a significant impact on maternal and neonatal health.

(c)Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV

26.In 2024, more than 840,000 pregnant women were tested for HIV. The transmission rate remains high (13 per cent) owing to difficulties in achieving an undetectable viral load. Management of syphilis and hepatitis B remains limited.

(d)Other antenatal care

Intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for malaria: IPT1 (61.3 per cent), IPT4 (19.6 per cent)

Deworming with Mebendazole: 72 per cent

Iron and folic acid supplementation: two doses on average

Long-lasting insecticidal nets: 1 per cent in 2023

Td2+ vaccination: 91.5 per cent

(e)Assisted deliveries

27.The proportion of assisted deliveries rose from 22 per cent in 2004 to 45 per cent in 2023. Despite the efforts made (provision of free services, reinforcement of emergency obstetric and newborn care, provision of training and equipment, referral via community health workers), more than half of all deliveries take place without qualified assistance.

(f)Emergency obstetric and newborn care

28.An emergency obstetric and newborn care network approved in 2020 covers 61 per cent of the population. It comprises 109 healthcare facilities (40 facilities offering basic obstetric and newborn emergency care and 69 offering comprehensive care). Recruitment and provision of training and equipment have all been carried out.

(g)Essential newborn care

29.Chad is adapting the WHO Essential Newborn Care Course, including Helping Babies Breathe and the kangaroo mother method. Initiatives for at-risk newborns are under way at the teaching hospital for mothers and children and the Notre Dame des Apôtres hospital.

(h)Other paediatric procedures

30.Vaccination, integrated management of childhood illness, emergency triage, assessment and treatment and infant and young child feeding programmes are regularly rolled out nationwide to improve child health.

Prohibition of trafficking in persons, forced labour and servitude (arts. 8 and 26)

31.Considerable efforts are being made to combat trafficking, forced labour and servitude.

32.On the regulatory and institutional fronts, it is important to recall the adoption of Act No. 12 of 20 June 2018 ratifying Ordinance No. 006/PR/2018 of 30 March 2018 on combating human trafficking in Chad. Article 40 of the Ordinance provides for the establishment of an anti-trafficking body.

33.To this end, the National Commission to Combat Human Trafficking in Chad was established pursuant to Decree No. 0151/PR/MJCDH/2021 of 8 February 2021. Pending the appointment of the Commission’s members, in view of the urgency and necessity of action to address the issue, the Multisectoral Technical Committee to Combat Human Trafficking was set up pursuant to Order No. 025/PR/MJDH/DG/DA/SDAPG/2021 of 25 February 2021 and its membership appointed.

34.Subsequently, pursuant to Decree No. 1416/PR.2025 of 14 July 2025, the members of the National Commission to Combat Human Trafficking were appointed. Comprising 21 leading figures from sectoral ministerial departments, the National Human Rights Commission and civil society organizations, the membership of the Commission was officially installed on 5 August 2025.

35.To steer efforts to combat human trafficking and related practices in Chad, the Government has a National Action Plan for the period 2025–2027, drawn up by the National Commission with the support of partners. This is a budgeted plan to put an end to human trafficking and related practices, and to provide support linked to the needs of victims.

36.Among other initiatives, the Government, in collaboration with partners, has launched awareness-raising days for traditional authorities, religious leaders and young people.

Participation in public affairs (art. 25)

37.In accordance with article 4 of the Constitution of 29 December 2023, political parties and groupings contribute to the exercise of the right to vote. They may be formed freely and carry out activities. Under article 6, suffrage is universal, direct or indirect, equal and secret.

38.Article 3 of the Electoral Code specifies that any citizen of either sex over the age of 18 may vote. Citizens have the right to exercise their civil and political rights and to register to vote.

39.To stand in the presidential election, for example, article 148 of the Electoral Code states that candidates must:

Be Chadian by birth, born of a Chadian father and mother, and have no nationality other than Chadian

Be at least 35 years old

Enjoy all civil and political rights

Be in good physical and mental health

Have been resident in Chad for at least one year during the previous three years

Ensure their availability if they are members of the defence or security forces (art. 149)

Pay a deposit of CFAF 10 million into the Treasury, refundable if the candidate obtains at least 10 per cent of the votes cast in the first round (art. 152)

40.Thus, the presidential elections of 6 May 2024 were contested by 10 candidates:

Alladoum Djarma Baltazar

Assyongar Masra Succes

Bebzoune Bongoro Theophile

Lydie Beassemda

Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno

Mansiri Lopsekreo

Mbaimon Guedmbayë Brice

Nasra Djimasngar

Pahimi Padacke Albert

Yacine Abderamane Sakine

41.In Chad, citizens take part in decisions affecting the life of the nation, either directly by referendum or through their elected representatives.

42.In the exercise of their functions, judges are subject only to the authority of the law.

43.Following the death of Yaya Dillo, a complaint was lodged with the N’Djamena prosecutor’s office, which in turn initiated proceedings by starting a preliminary investigation against persons unknown on 13 August 2023.

44.Subsequently, by a letter dated 9 October 2024, the investigating judge of the third chamber of the N’Djamena Court of Major Jurisdiction received another complaint, from Ache Abdoulaye, wife of the late Yaya Dillo (No. RI031/2024), who was seeking to become a party to the prosecution.