In Dialogue with Chad, Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Commend the 2023 Constitution, Ask about Low Birth Registration Rates and Harmful Cultural Practices
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today concluded its consideration of the fifth periodic report of Chad on its implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, with Committee Experts welcoming the adoption of the 2023 Constitution, and raising questions about low birth registration rates and harmful cultural practices, including female genital mutilation and child marriage.
Several Committee Experts, including Brenda Akia, Committee Rapporteur for Chad, commended the passing of the 2023 Constitution, which promoted the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, prohibited harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, and gave women and men the equal right to confer nationality to their children.
A Committee Expert expressed concern about the extremely low rate of birth registration - over four million women and children in the State were not registered. How was the State party addressing barriers that prevented civil registration, and ensuring that registration services remained affordable?
The prevalence of female genital mutilation was alarmingly high, one Committee Expert said, noting that the rate was higher in urban areas, at over 40 per cent, than in rural areas. How was the State party working to eliminate female genital mutilation?
Another Committee Expert said Chad had one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world; 60 per cent of girls were married before the age of 18 and 30 per cent before the age of 15. How did the State party reintegrate girls who were married into the school system?
Introducing the report, Youssouf Tom, Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals and Human Rights of Chad and head of the delegation, said the 2023 Constitution guaranteed equality before the law for all, and required the State to ensure the protection of women’s rights in all areas of private and public life, and promote better representation of women in elected assemblies, institutions and public administrations.
On birth registration, the delegation said Chad had created birth registration centres nationwide with the support of United Nations agencies. Magistrates could go to refugee camps to issue replacement birth certificates, and the Government was considering making these free of charge.
The Government had taken several measures to combat harmful practices and drive change in communities, the delegation said. It had trained 1,500 traditional and religious leaders on women’s rights. These leaders had signed an agreement to eradicate traditional harmful practices, including female genital mutilation.
The delegation also reported that, in 2015, the Government adopted legislation outlawing child marriage. The State party was working on strengthening awareness raising campaigns in remote areas to deter parents and community leaders from marrying children off. As soon as the Government became aware of child marriages, prosecutors acted to penalise facilitators.
In closing remarks, Mr. Tom said that since ratifying the Convention in 1995, Chad had worked tirelessly to eradicate discrimination against women, adopting laws, plans and strategies toward this aim. Despite facing issues that hindered the socio-economic development of women, the Government would exert further efforts to ensure the full implementation of the Convention domestically.
In her concluding remarks, Nahla Haidar, Committee Chair, said that the dialogue had enabled the Committee to better understand the situation of women in Chad. The Committee thanked the State for its efforts and called on it to implement its recommendations for the benefit of all women and girls in the country.
The delegation of Chad consisted of representatives from the Office of the President; Office of the Prime Minister; National Assembly; Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Women and Children; Ministry of Health; General Directorate for the Promotion of Gender and the Empowerment of Women; General Directorate for the Protection and Promotion of Women's Rights; Directorate for Girls' Education Development and Gender Promotion; and the Permanent Mission of Chad to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Chad at the end of its ninety-first session on 4 July. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, 27 June to consider the fifth periodic report of Botswana (CEDAW/C/BWA/5).
Report
The Committee has before it the fifth periodic report of Chad (CEDAW/C/TCD/5).
Presentation of Report
YOUSSOUF TOM, Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals and Human Rights of Chad and head of the delegation, expressed gratitude to the various agencies of the United Nations system based in N'Djamena for their support, which had contributed to the country's return to constitutional order with the organisation of legislative and provincial elections. Chad was committed to implementing the Convention.
The Government of Chad had established a Ministry of Women, which worked to guarantee gender equality and protect women's rights, mainstreaming women’s affairs into all Government policies and programmes. The Ministry was committed to protecting women and children from all forms of violence and discrimination; contributing to the promotion of reproductive health and education; conducting awareness-raising campaigns on the rights of women and children; and devising and implementing national policies and strategies on gender, child protection, and the socio-economic development of women, children and the family.
Since ratifying the Convention in 1995, Chad had taken legislative and administrative measures to improve the conditions of women and to eliminate all forms of discrimination against them. The 2023 Constitution guaranteed equality before the law for all, and required the State to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, ensure the protection of their rights in all areas of private and public life, and promote better representation of women in elected assemblies, institutions and public administrations.
In this spirit, the February 2024 law on the Electoral Code set a quota of at least 30 per cent women on the lists of candidates for legislative, provincial and communal elections. As a result, more than 30 per cent of members of the fourth legislature were women. This was a major step for the Government towards achieving the desired objective of parity.
The January 2025 ordinance on the prevention and punishment of violence against women and girls was a formidable weapon for the protection of Chadian women against all forms of violence.
Over the past five years, primary level curricula had been adapted to the educational realities of the country, with the inclusion of themes related to peace, human rights and democracy. To effectively combat gender stereotypes, initiatives had been put in place to improve teacher training and promote girls' access to education and their retention in school. The women's empowerment and demographic dividend in the Sahel project was strengthened in 2024 to improve girls' access to education and fight gender-based violence. This programme had enabled 127,000 vulnerable adolescents to benefit from educational support, including tuition fees and school kits.
Chad currently hosted more than one million refugees and displaced persons, who were pouring into Chadian territory in large numbers. The Government was working to provide care, particularly to the women and children within this group, but economic and financial difficulties made this challenging.
Through the dialogue with the Committee, the Government aimed to present its efforts to combat all forms of discrimination against women in Chad, as well as the difficult economic conditions and crises related to climate change that the country faced. Recommendations and guidance from Committee Experts would help the State to achieve its objectives.
Questions by a Committee Expert
BRENDA AKIA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Chad, said that the dialogue was an important opportunity to assess efforts to advance the rights of women and girls in Chad. The State party had made progress in this regard. The Committee congratulated the State party on passing the 2023 Constitution, which expressly required equality before the law and promoted the elimination of discrimination against women and girls. However, humanitarian and climate crises were undermining the Government’s efforts.
What progress had the State party made in eliminating discriminatory legal provisions and aligning the legislation with the Convention? Legislation did not address discrimination based on disability. What progress had been made in adopting the draft Family Code, which would address this issue? What awareness raising campaigns on the Convention had been carried out? Had the Convention been translated into local languages?
What was the State party doing to promote access to justice for women and girls affected by conflict-related violations? The Committee welcomed the State party’s national action plan on women, peace and security. How were women and non-governmental organizations involved in developing the women, peace and security agenda? How was the State party ensuring security around displacement sites and refugee camps, reducing the circulation of firearms, and promoting security in the country? How did the State party ensure that customary laws did not take precedence over common law? Why had it not yet ratified the Maputo Protocol?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Family Code had been submitted to the Council of Ministers, where it was being debated. A national mechanism for the promotion of the rights of women had been set up to help the State party draft reports on the subject. It was made up of State and non-State actors.
Awareness raising campaigns were being held to help civil society actors and religious leaders promote women’s rights. Chad had set up centres that provided care to victims of gender-based violence, offering various counselling services. It had also set up an information tool that supported decision-making on policies for women. The Government adopted an ordinance in January that allowed for the punishment of all types of gender-based violence committed against women in the State.
Chad was in the process of ratifying the Maputo Protocol. It had implemented several measures to support access to justice for women, including establishing justice offices in rural areas.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said that Chad had established comprehensive gender machinery, including the National Observatory for Gender Equality. The State party had also adopted a national action plan on gender equality. However, the national machinery was significantly constrained by inadequate resources. What resources had been allocated to the national machinery? What measures were in place to strengthen the effective coordination of national and regional mechanisms on gender equality? Had the State party assessed the achievements of the national action plan on gender equality? How did it ensure that the plan’s objectives were incorporated into all State policies?
Chad’s data collection system was insufficient. What efforts were being made to strengthen data systems, including to monitor the progress of the national machinery for women’s rights?
It was disappointing that the National Human Rights Commission’s accreditation by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions had recently been deferred. What strategies would the Commission implement to enhance the accessibility of its complaints’ mechanisms for women?
One Committee Expert asked if the State party had considered implementing special measures to tackle poverty and food insecurity affecting women and girls. Were women involved in designing policies on climate change and land use? How was the State party training peasant women to improve their access to livelihoods? Did it have measures promoting access to nutrition for pregnant women? What programmes were in place to eradicate illiteracy amongst women and promote access to education? Were there affirmative actions aimed at refugee and migrant women?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Chad had an Observatory for the Promotion of Gender Equality attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, which had allowed the State to collect data on women’s representation in decision-making. The Observatory was run by a civil society representative.
Within the National Assembly, 38 per cent of members were women, and over 30 per cent of members of national councils were women. Four national commissions were run by women.
The Government planned to carry out an assessment of its national action plan on gender equality in the coming days, in preparation for a second iteration of the plan. Progress had been made in the implementation of the plan. A first action plan on child marriage and female genital mutilation was implemented from 2019 to 2023, and a related roadmap from 2023 to 2027 was now being implemented.
Chad was promoting gender equality in education, including through programmes supporting girls’ access to education. Under these programmes, school fees were paid, school and hygiene kits were provided to girls, and the capacity of education providers to support girls was strengthened. A strategy to expedite education for girls from 2024 to 2028 was currently being implemented.
The National Human Rights Commission’s complaints mechanisms was introduced in the first half of this year; it had received over 3,000 complaints thus far. The Commission was independent in terms of its activities and resources. Work was being done to update it from “B” to “A” status under the Paris Principles by October of this year.
Civil society organizations had set up legal clinics to deal with complaints related to violence against women. The State party was working to make the transitional justice system operational. Customary justice did not take precedence over the modern justice system.
There was no legal discrimination against women in terms of access to resources, but there were some communities in which women were in practice given less access to land than men. Awareness raising campaigns were being carried out in these communities to promote women’s access to land.
Questions by Committee Experts
BRENDA AKIA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Chad, asked how the State party trained duty bearers responsible for assessing complaints filed with the National Human Rights Commission. Reportedly, many cases involving women and girls were handled in the customary justice system. Were religious and traditional leaders trained on the Convention?
Another Committee Expert asked if there were affirmative actions that ensured women’s participation at all levels of the State administration, including in bodies developing transitional justice measures.
One Committee Expert welcomed Chad’s efforts to reform its legal framework, including its 2023 Constitution, which prohibited harmful practices such as female genital mutilation. However, harmful traditional practices and patriarchal attitudes continued to harm women’s rights, and discriminatory gender stereotypes persisted in the media, education and the justice system. What steps had been taken to address harmful gender stereotypes and norms? Was the State party considering a national action plan to eliminate such stereotypes? The prevalence of female genital mutilation was alarmingly high, and was higher in urban areas, at over 40 per cent, than in rural areas. How was the State party working to eliminate female genital mutilation?
Chad had yet to adopt a law on gender-based violence. There was limited access to support services for survivors of violence, particularly in rural areas. What measures were in place to ensure access to support services in these areas? How was the State party training officials that supported victims of gender-based violence? Gender-based violence was widespread in internally displacement camps, which had limited access to support services. What measures were in place to protect women in such camps?
Another Committee Expert said Chad was experiencing instability, with the ongoing war in Sudan leading to a massive influx of refugees. In this context, it was welcome that the State party had adopted an ordinance on combatting trafficking in persons, amended the Criminal Code to make trafficking an offence, and trained public officials to combat trafficking. However, criminal networks exploited women and girls in sex trafficking networks in Chad, and victims of trafficking were at risk of being recruited in armed groups. How many shelters had been established for victims of trafficking? Were anti-trafficking measures effective? How many non-governmental organizations were working on trafficking issues? How many court cases had been heard that related to trafficking? The Committee welcomed that the State party had ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Government had taken several measures to combat harmful practices and drive change in communities. It had trained 1,500 traditional and religious leaders on women’s rights. These leaders had signed an agreement to eradicate traditional harmful practices, including female genital mutilation.
“Dia” was a civil reparation system used for friendly settlement of disputes. If friendly settlements could not be reached, parties turned to the justice system. Victims and their relatives could lodge complaints with the courts directly.
Chad was a haven of peace surrounded by States at war. The Government had passed laws defining the rights of refugees in response to the influx of refugees. Refugees enjoyed similar rights to those of Chadians. Land was given to refugee women.
Chad had become a country of transit for trafficking in persons. The State criminalised trafficking in 2018 and validated an ambitious national action plan to combat trafficking in persons this year. It called for support in implementing this plan.
The Government had launched the “positive parenthood programme” which aimed to combat harmful social norms, and there were also national strategies to combat gender stereotypes. Multi-sectoral centres for victims of gender-based violence provided medical care, legal aid, and social reintegration services in many areas of the State. The Government sought to cover the entire territory of the State with these centres. Victims of rape were provided with medical treatment free of change and the Government was working to ensure accountability for acts of rape.
Chad had taken measures to address all forms of violence against persons with disabilities. A 2019 law implemented protection measures for persons with disabilities and exempted such persons from paying education fees. A 2023 policy created a national protection system for persons with disabilities.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert commended Chad’s progress in promoting the representation of women. Chad’s Electoral Code guaranteed equality between men and women in terms of the right of vote and stand for election. Minimum quotas of 30 per cent women candidates in all regional and national elections had been in place since 2018. However, there was a lack of parity in decision-making systems. What awareness raising campaigns were in place that promoted women’s participation in decision-making? How many women were appointed to senior positions in the public service and in private sector companies? What was the timeline for adoption of a 50 per cent quota for women in all decision-making systems? The State party needed to implement the Committee’s general recommendation 40 on women’s representation.
One Committee Expert commended that the 2023 Constitution gave women and men the equal right to confer nationality to their children. The Committee was concerned by the extremely low rate of birth registration - over four million women and children in the State were not registered. The lack of legal identity documents significantly increased women’s vulnerability. Would the Government’s next migration plan include measures to promote women’s access to identity rights and birth registration? How was it addressing barriers, including in conflict and refugee settings, that prevented civil registration, and ensuring that registration services remained affordable? Were there awareness raising campaigns informing women of their rights to registration and nationality?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said women participated in decision-making positions in Chad. The Senate had 32 per cent women representatives, and 45 per cent of members of the National Human Rights Commission were women. Chad was developing a law that promoted the recruitment of women in the civil service. A high number of women health workers had been trained, many non-governmental organizations in Chad were headed by women, and an increasing percentage of university students were women. The State was moving towards gender parity in decision-making bodies.
Chad had created birth registration centres nationwide with the support of United Nations agencies. Magistrates could go to refugee camps to issue replacement birth certificates, and the Government was considering making these free of charge. The Government organised exceptional birth registration campaigns.
Questions by Committee Experts
BRENDA AKIA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Chad, said that the Committee looked forward to the State party’s work to make birth registration free.
Another Committee Expert welcomed that Chad’s Constitution provided for free and compulsory primary education, and that the Government had criminalised refusal to enrol girls in school due to pregnancy. The secondary school enrolment rate was less than 30 per cent for girls, and many schools lacked sufficient hygiene facilities for girls. Corporal punishment was prevalent in schools and there was a lack of reporting mechanisms. Educational instruction was largely in French and Arabic, which were not the first languages of many girls in rural communities. What budget allocations were earmarked for girls’ education? How did the State party ensure equal access to education and promote access to education for girls from minority language communities and girls with disabilities? How was it addressing the shortage of women teachers?
Chad had one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world; 60 per cent of girls were married before the age of 18 and 30 per cent before the age of 15. How did the State party reintegrate girls who were married into the school system?
One Committee Expert welcomed the Government’s efforts to promote women’s right to equal employment. Labour laws prohibited gender discrimination in both the public and private sectors and the Criminal Code prohibited workplace sexual harassment. However, the female labour participation rate was 44 per cent for women in 2022, compared to over 70 per cent for men, and there was a lack of formal recruitment channels for women. There was an absence of provisions ensuring access to social protection for marginalised women.
Were there targeted programmes aiming to enhance women’s participation in the labour market? What measures would the State party take to ensure equal pay for equal work? Were there laws or policies that protected women’s right to paid maternity leave, and the rights of women working in informal sectors? Were there mechanisms for victims of workplace sexual harassment to file complaints?
A Committee Expert said the gender equality action plan strengthened women’s access to sexual and reproductive health rights. However, child and maternal mortality rates remained high, as did the prevalence of infectious diseases. Over 50 per cent of maternal deaths were due to unsafe abortions. There was also a high rate of early pregnancy and a low rate of use of modern contraceptives. What measures were in place to address these issues?
How would the State party improve health infrastructure and the skills of health personnel? How was it strengthening family planning programmes and education on sexual and reproductive health rights? How would it increase access to emergency obstetric care? When would abortion be decriminalised? What steps were being taken to ensure the financial sustainability of the health sector for the next three to five years, given cuts in international aid?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Department for the Development of Education of Girls sought to improve access to education and promoted gender parity. Much progress had been made in improving school enrolment rates for girls through Government policies. In 2024, girls’ primary enrolment rate rose to 83 per cent. School and hygiene kits had been made available to all girls. The State party had a partnership agreement with the United Nations Children's Fund on boosting girls’ access to education. Schools that refused to enrol girls who were pregnant were penalised. In 2025, enrolment in universities and public schools had been made free through an investment by the Government of three billion CFA francs.
There were many female teachers in urban areas, but it was difficult to send women to rural areas in the north, where conditions were harsh, and separate them from their husbands and children. The Government had adopted strategies to encourage newly qualified women teachers to work in remote provinces.
The State party organised awareness raising campaigns in schools nationwide to prevent violence against children. School clubs referred complaints of violence to the authorities.
In 2015, the Government adopted legislation outlawing child marriage. This legislation was being applied but its effects were not yet sufficient. The State party was working on strengthening awareness raising campaigns in remote areas to deter parents and community leaders from marrying children off. As soon as the Government became aware of child marriages, prosecutors acted to penalise facilitators. In one case, a member of parliament who was involved in a child marriage was penalised.
The State party was reviewing the Labour Code to strengthen protections for the rights of women workers. The national office for the promotion of employment and other bodies supported women in rural areas, and programmes were in place that promoted the social empowerment and employment of women in the Sahel. Women business owners who created employment were exempt from paying taxes for five years. Women earned the same salaries as men in the same level positions in the civil service. Complaints of workplace sexual harassment were passed on to the justice system by labour inspectors, who visited businesses periodically. Free legal aid was provided to victims of workplace harassment.
Chad took health matters seriously. HIV transmission rates had significantly dropped and Chad had modernised healthcare centres. Health establishments had been provided with significant resources to ensure access to quality healthcare for all women. The State party sought to promote universal access to healthcare and to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates, allocating significant resources to these aims. The universal healthcare scheme was currently in the pilot phase, which focused on providing healthcare to women free of charge.
Chad was not able to decriminalise abortion overnight. This would be a long and hard process.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert called on the State party not to delay the decriminalisation of abortion for too long. Women needed to be free, including to decide for themselves regarding abortion.
BRENDA AKIA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Chad, said that the State party needed to urgently prioritise bringing down the high maternal mortality rate. Conditions in prions in Chad were reportedly poor. How was the State party implementing the Nelson Mandela Rules, the Bangkok Rules and the Tokyo Rules? How were women human rights defenders protected from threats, including from terrorism?
Another Committee Expert applauded the five-year tax moratorium for women-led businesses, as well as strategies such as the microfinancing policy for women entrepreneurs. However, social and cultural prejudices inhibited women’s access to sufficient living conditions, nutrition, housing and social life. Did the national systems assign value to women’s unpaid labour, particularly domestic work? Was there a database on entrepreneurship grants which would allow for tailoring of support projects for women? How was the State party supporting access to venture capital and startup funds at low interest rates for women? How were different categories of women supported to participate in agricultural industries, access formal work, and exit poverty?
How was the State party supporting women’s access to the internet? Some 44 per cent of the population was living in poverty. What national policies addressed poverty? Could the delegation provide data on social safety net policies? What plans were in place to encourage women’s leadership and participation in sports activities, and to bolster sports infrastructure for women?
One Committee Expert said women constituted more than 60 per cent of Chad’s agricultural workforce; 2026 had been declared the year of the woman farmer. The women of Chad were responsible for up to 80 per cent of food production but owned only 30 per cent of the land. Could women become chiefs? How could the State party scale up women’s collectives? How were e-vouchers for seeds employed, and what other agri-tech measures were being pursued? Were women engaged in cross-border trade in Africa?
Land disputes in southwestern Chad last week had resulted in the deaths of seven women and children. There had recently been an increase in armed violence between farmers and herders, which affected women. Chad’s women walked miles to collect water. Refugee populations were highly exposed to extreme weather events. How did the State party implement the Kampala Convention, which addressed protection and assistance for internally displaced persons?
Chad’s Vision 2030 called for the implementation of wealth redistribution policies for women and persons with disabilities. What steps had been taken to actualise this vision?
The shrinking of Lake Chad was a global tragedy. Its surface had decreased by 90 per cent since 1960. How were women involved in climate adaption policies that were integral to fighting desertification?
Would the State party consider decriminalising homosexuality?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Chad had created an information gathering system that collected data on women and children, and was preparing to conduct a national survey. A project granting loans with zero interest to rural women was in place and a consultation framework for rural women had been set up. The Government had assisted many villages to dig wells to prevent women from travelling long distances to obtain water. Credit programmes provided funding to women in all of Chad’s provinces. The State needed support in developing the water and electricity infrastructure.
Chad was providing various forms of support for widows and orphans. Awareness raising campaigns and workshops were being carried out that promoted sharing of domestic chores, and involving women in conflict resolution processes.
Chad had created a sports federation for women, which had promoted the participation of girls in sports. Stadia and other sports infrastructure were being constructed in major neighbourhoods to encourage the development of sport.
The State party had organised the operationalisation of women in the agriculture chamber. Most women worked in the agricultural sector. The State party had adopted a national social security scheme that covered all vulnerable persons.
This month, the Government submitted a draft revision to the Land Code that promoted women’s access to land. This law addressed the issue that many women in rural areas struggled to access land.
An agency that was dedicated to women with disabilities had been set up. The law on the protection of persons with disabilities exempted persons with disabilities from paying enrolment fees. Women with disabilities had been assisted in accessing employment and loans. Some women with disabilities had been elected as members of parliament. Training workshops had been organised to support the manufacturing of mobility devices that enabled women with disabilities to travel to work and school.
The Lake Chad region was an area of conflict where the Boko Haram terrorist organization operated. Global warming reduced resources, creating disputes between the populations. Climate change adaption plans included measures to prevent related conflicts. Weapons were circulating across the country, which was surrounded by zones of tension. The Government had taken measures to address this issue, including in the United Nations Security Council and through disarmament programmes.
The Ministry of the Environment led reforestation activities in the “green belt” to combat deforestation, and many women contributed to these activities through Government funding, planting thousands of trees per year. Chad had a gender action plan on climate change that would soon be evaluated. The Ministry of Education had updated the school syllabus to address climate change.
The Government had addressed the issue of access to drinking water, setting up a Water Ministry that was leading the construction of wells and pumps. Some 52 per cent of the population now had access to drinking water.
The State party was considering devising a law on the protection of human rights defenders and setting up an alert system regarding violence against human rights defenders.
Efforts had been made to humanise places of deprivation of liberty and protect the rights of women in detention. A nationwide survey of detention conditions would be carried out in coming days. The State party was working to raise awareness of the Nelson Mandela Rules, the Bangkok Rules and the Tokyo Rules. The Ministry of Justice worked to protect health conditions of detainees.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said there were high levels of forced marriage and polygamy in Chad, and women had unequal access to property in cases of divorce and inheritance. How was the State party preventing forced marriage and polygamy? How did it ensure the equal distribution of inheritance to widows? Were there legal protocols protecting women and children from domestic violence? Was mediation used in cases of domestic violence? How did the State party ensure that family court proceedings were in line with the Convention? What efforts had been made to strengthen laws on marriage and family relations?
NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chair, said that there was societal resistance to certain civil laws in several countries due to differing religious beliefs. The State party needed to address this resistance through awareness raising campaigns that directly targeted traditional and religious leaders.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Chad was speaking out against child and forced marriage and implementing measures to support victims. It had a roadmap for eliminating child and forced marriage, which included awareness raising measures targeting traditional and religious leaders. Chad had adopted a law that punished perpetrators of child and forced marriages, and there were cases in which people were prosecuted for facilitating such marriages. Polygamy was illegal but still existed in some communities. The Government was liaising with the public to achieve the goal of eradicating polygamy.
Issues of succession and inheritance were typically determined following traditional law, but where a conflict emerged between traditional and modern law, modern law prevailed, and the case was brought to a civil court.
Bodily harm was a crime under the Criminal Code. Persons who were the victims of such acts, including in their homes, were entitled to press charges against perpetrators, and the public prosecutor was also empowered to launch proceedings in such cases.
Concluding Remarks
YOUSSOUF TOM, Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals and Human Rights of Chad and head of the delegation, said that the dialogue had been constructive. The Government, since ratifying the Convention in 1995, had worked tirelessly to eradicate discrimination against women, adopting laws, plans and strategies toward this aim. The Committee had shown that it was committed to the well-being of women in Chad.
Despite facing issues that hindered the socio-economic development of women, the Government would further invest in including women at all levels of decision-making bodies and would exert further efforts to ensure the full implementation of the Convention domestically. The Committee was welcome to conduct a working visit to assess conditions on the ground in Chad. Chad was committed to fulfilling its international human rights obligations.
NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chair, thanked the delegation for the answers they had provided in the dialogue, which had enabled the Committee to better understand the situation of women in the country. The Committee thanked the State for its efforts and called on it to implement its recommendations for the benefit of all women and girls in the country. The Committee keenly awaited Chad’s next periodic report.
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