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 AFROL
Gender Profiles:
Algeria
Spousal abuse is
common. There are no specific laws against spousal rape. Rape is illegal, and in principle a spouse could be charged under the law. However, there are strong societal pressures against a woman seeking legal redress against her spouse for rape, and there are no reports of the law being applied in such cases. The 1984 Family Code, based in large part on
Shari 'a, treats women as minors under the legal guardianship of a husband or male relative. A
woman must obtain a father's approval to marry. Muslim women are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims; Muslim men may marry non-Muslim women.
Although the 1990 Labor Law bans sexual discrimination in the workplace, the leaders of women's organizations report that violations are commonplace. Islamic extremists often specifically
target women. There are numerous instances of women being killed and mutilated in massacres. The law does not prohibit specifically trafficking in persons.
Armed terrorist groups frequently kidnaps young women, rape them for weeks at a time, and
keep them as sex slaves for group leaders and other members.
Every Algerian woman averagely gives birth to
2,8 children (2000 est.).
Social data
Life expectancy: Total population: 69,65 years
male: 68,34 years
female: 71,02 years (2000 est.)
Infant mortality: 41,97 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Alphabetization rate: Total population: 61,6%
male: 73,9%
female: 49% (1995 est.)
Medical services: 100% of the population have access to medical services.
(1.204 persons per doctor)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1,04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1,04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1,02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0,86 male(s)/female
total population: 1,02 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Religious data: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 98%, traditional African religions
1,98%, Christian 0,11%.
Family and tradition
Some aspects of the law, and many traditional social practices, discriminate against women. The 1984 Family Code, based in large part on
Shari' a, treats women as minors under the legal guardianship of a husband or male relative. For example, a woman must obtain a father's approval to marry. Divorce is difficult for a wife to obtain except in cases of abandonment or the husband's conviction for a serious crime. Husbands generally obtain the right to the family's home in the case of divorce. Custody of the children normally goes to the mother, but she cannot enroll them in a particular school or take them out of the country without the father's authorization.
The Family Code also affirms the Islamic practice of allowing a man to marry up to four wives, although this rarely occurs. A wife may sue for divorce if her husband does not inform her of his intent to marry another woman prior to the marriage. Only males are able to confer citizenship on their children. Muslim women are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims; Muslim men may marry non-Muslim women.
Women suffer from discrimination in inheritance claims; in accordance with Shari' a, women are entitled to a smaller portion of an estate than are male children or a deceased husband's brothers. Females under 19 years of age cannot travel abroad without their husbands' or fathers' permission. However, women may take out business loans and are the sole custodians of their dowries. Legally, if not always in practice, women have exclusive control over any income that they earn themselves, or assets that they bring into a marriage.
There are numerous small women's rights groups. Their main goals are to foster women's economic welfare and to amend aspects of the Family Code, although no such amendments have been enacted.
Gender sensitivity in society
The Constitution prohibits discrimination based on birth, race, sex, belief, or any other personal or social condition. A national ombudsman receives individual complaints and presents an annual report to the President. Provincial representatives are designated to accept individual grievances and to make them known to the authorities. Most such complaints concerned bureaucratic unresponsiveness and lack of jobs and housing. Women continue to face legal and social discrimination.
While social pressure against women pursuing higher education or a career exists throughout the country, it is much stronger in rural areas than in major urban areas. Women constitute only 8 percent of the work force. Nonetheless, women may own businesses, enter into contracts, and pursue opportunities in government, medicine, law, education, the media, and the armed forces. Although the 1990 Labor Law bans sexual discrimination in the workplace, the leaders of women's organizations report that violations are commonplace. Labor Ministry inspectors do little to enforce the law.
Health data
Access to potable water: 78%
Medical services: 100% of the population have access to medical services.
(1.204 persons per doctor)
Maternal mortality rate: 160/100.000
Infant mortality: 41,97 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): N.A.
Violence against women
Women's rights advocates assert that spousal abuse is common, but there are no reliable studies regarding its extent. Spousal abuse is more frequent in rural than urban areas, especially among less-educated persons. There are no specific laws against spousal rape. Rape is illegal, and in principle a spouse could be charged under the law. However, there are strong societal pressures against a woman seeking legal redress against her spouse for rape, and there are no reports of the law being applied in such cases. Battered women must obtain medical certification of the physical effects of an assault before they lodge a complaint with the police. However, because of societal pressures, women frequently are reluctant to endure this process. There are no adequate facilities offering safe haven for abused women. Women's rights groups have experienced difficulty in drawing attention to spousal abuse as an important social problem, largely due to societal attitudes. There are several rape crisis centers run by women's groups, but they have few resources. In August 1998, the Government released figures that indicated that the whereabouts of 319 women remain unknown and that there were 24 reports by women of rape. Most human rights groups believe that the actual number is much higher. There is a rape crisis center that specializes in caring for women who are victims of rape by terrorists.
During the year, Islamic extremists often specifically targeted women. There were numerous instances of women being killed and mutilated in massacres. As many as 80 percent of the victims of massacres were women and children.
The law does not prohibit specifically trafficking in persons. Armed terrorist groups frequently
kidnaps young women, rape them for weeks at a time, and keep them as sex slaves for group leaders and other members.
Child abuse is a problem. Laws against child abuse have not led to notable numbers of prosecutions against offenders. NGO's that specialize in care of children cite an increase in domestic violence aimed at children, which they attribute to the "culture of violence" developed during the years since 1992 and the social dislocations caused by the movement of rural families to the cities to escape terrorist violence. Those NGO's have educational programs aimed at reducing the level of violence, but lack funding.
Main sources: U.S. Department of State, CIA,
UN, HRW, Mundo negro
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