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| Central_African_Republic | |
 Flag of Central_African_Republic | |
| Population (in Mil.) | 4.8 |
 Sex Ratio (m/f)
| 0,98 |
 Life Expectancy Ratio (f/m)
| 1.07 |
 Fertility Rate
| - |
 Income Ratio (f/m)
| - |
 Literacy Ratio (f/m)
| 0,52 |
 Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (f/m)
| 0,19 |
 Women in Parliament (in %)
| 10,5 |
| SIGI Rank | 70 |
| More information on variables | |
| Did you know that Central_African_Republic ranks number 70 of 102 countries on the OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index? To learn more, see the official country note "Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Central_African_Republic" at genderindex.org: | |
The Central African Republic (CAR) remains a chronically poverty stricken country where traditions and cultural practices causing gender inequality remain strong among the predominantly rural population. The country’s government admits that it cannot live up to its human right obligations due to poverty and lack of funding. While the 1994 constitution guarantees equal rights to men and women in all domains of society, local traditions that are unfavorable to women are very much the norm in Central African women’s life.
Contents |
Family code
A family code designed to strengthen women’s rights was enacted in 1998, but a number of conflicting customary laws often prevail. The husband is the head of the family. Even if a woman is single, divorced, or widowed, and with or without children, she is still not considered the head of the household socially. Early marriage is also an issue as the UN reports that 42 percent of women between 15 and 19 years of age are currently married. An estimated 57 percent of all women are married by the age of 18.
The practice of polygamy is legal, but has faced growing resistance among educated women. The law allows a man to have up to four wives, but at the time of his first marriage contract he must indicate whether or not he intends to have additional wives. The man is the head of the family, and as such, he has the right to exercise parental authority. He also chooses his spouse’s residence.
The law does not discriminate against women in inheritance. But a number of discriminatory customary laws often prevail, and women’s statutory inheritance rights are often not respected, particularly in rural areas.
Physical Integrity
Although female genital mutilation is prohibited by law and punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment (the law was promulgated in 1966), young girls continue to be subjected to this traditional practice in certain rural areas. According to the WHO, FGM affects more than 40 percent of the country’s women, but in some individual regions this number is as high as 90 percent. UNICEF, in turn, estimates that between 1998 and 2005, 36 percent of females between the age of 15 and 49 had undergone FGM. Several government and NGO campaigns have been organized in order to reduce the incidence of FGM in rural areas. A national committee against traditional practices that affect women’s health was established in 1996. There is some indication that the prevalence of FGM is declining, as data shows that prevalence among younger women is lower than for their older peers: 53 percent among women aged 45-49 compared with 35% among women aged 15-19.
Violence against women, including wife beating, is common. Central African Republic law does not specifically mention spousal abuse, but prohibits violence against any person and provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment. Spousal abuse is not considered a penal matter unless the injury is severe. Victims of domestic abuse seldom report incidents to the authorities. In the event that incidents are addressed, it is usually only done so within the family or local community. While the law prohibits rape, it still remains a problem. Moreover, there are no specific provisions against spousal rape. Amnesty International and other NGOs have shown that rape was used as a weapon of war in 2002 and 2003.
Civil Liberties
Concerning freedom of movement, women are often unable to choose their place of residence. The Human Rights Committee of the UN has asked to speed up the process of adapting the family code in line with international instruments, in particular with regard to the choice of residence. However, women have an extended freedom of movement in their daily lives.
There is no reported limitation to women’s freedom of dress.
Ownership Rights
The 1994 Constitution of the Central African Republic states that every physical or moral person has the right to property. Discrimination in access to land, property and bank loans is forbidden by law. Again, however, this often conflicts with the practices observed under customary law, where the husband is considered to be the head of the family. As such, he can limit the effective rights of women to access land, property and bank loans. This also applies to single, divorced or widowed women and mothers.
Sources
- AFROL Gender Profile, Central African Republic, http://www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/profiles/car_women.htm.
- AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL (2004), Central African Republic, five months of war against women, AFR 19/001/2004, 10 November 2004.
- CRC (2000), Considerations of reports submitted by states parties under article 44 of the convention : concluding observations of the committee on the rights of the Child, CRC/C/15/Add. 138, 18 October 2000.
- HRC (2006), Considerations of reports submitted by states parties under article 40 of the covenant, concluding observations of the Human Right Committee, CCPR/C/CAF/CO/2, 27th July 2006.
- IPU (2007), Legislation and other national provisions on FGM, Web : http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/fgm-prov.htm accessed 20th August 2007.
- UN (2003), Integration of the Human Rights of Women and the Gender Perspective. Violence against Women, Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Radhila Coomaraswamy, submitted in accordance with commision on Human Rights resolution.
- UN (2004) World Fertility Report. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, New York: UN.
- UNICEF (2005), early marriage: an harmful practice, The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2005.
- US. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (2006), Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Central African Republic, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
