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 AFROL
Gender Profiles:
Niger
Niger is a poor Sahelian country with few resources and unstable
governments. In fact, it is the country with the second poorest
living standards in the world, only surpassed by uneasy Sierra
Leone. Little progress thus is made in improving the situation
of women's rights. Traditional practices, including the use of
family or traditional courts, thus regulate the living conditions of
most women. A recent change of government priorities however raises
hopes for serious poverty alliviation.
Despite the Constitution's provisions for women's rights, the
traditional belief in the submission of women to men is deeply
rooted.
Domestic violence against women is widespread in Niger. Prostitution
is often the only alternative for a abused woman who divorces her
husband. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is practiced by several ethnic groups
in the country.
Each Nigerien woman averagely gives birth to 7,16 children (2000 est.).
Social data
Life expectancy: Total population: 41,27 years
male: 41,43 years
female: 41,11 years (2000 est.)
Alphabetization rate: Total population: 13,6%
male: 20,9%
female: 6,6% (1995 est.)
Medical services: 30% of the people have access to medical
services. (33.000 persons per doctor).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1,03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1,04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0,95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1,11 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Religious data: Muslim 82%, traditional African religions 17,82%, Christian
0,18%
Family and tradition
Discrimination is worse in rural areas, where women do much of the subsistence farming as well as child-rearing, water- and wood-gathering, and other work. Despite constituting 47 percent of the work force, women have made only modest inroads in civil service and professional employment and remain underrepresented in these areas.
Women's inferior legal status is evident, for example, in head of household status: A male head of household has certain legal rights, but divorced or widowed women, even with children, are not considered to be heads of households. Among the Hausa and Peul in the east, some women are cloistered and may leave their homes only if escorted by a male and usually only after dark. In 1994 the Government considered a draft family code intended to eliminate gender bias in inheritance rights, land tenure, and child custody, as well as end the practice of repudiation, which permits a husband to obtain an immediate divorce with no further responsibility for his wife or children. However, in June 1994 when Islamic associations criticized the draft code, the then-Government suspended discussions. The Government has taken no further action on the family code, although on August 13, it ratified the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Some Islamic groups criticized the treaty and complained that they were not consulted beforehand. Women's groups have so far been silent, allegedly due to fear of reprisals. The same Islamic militant groups worked against the family code, and reportedly threatened women who supported the code with physical harm.
Tradition among some ethnic groups allows young girls from rural families to enter into marriage agreements on the basis of which girls are sent by the age of 10 or 12 (or younger) to join their husband's family under the tutelage of their mother-in-law. There are credible reports of underage girls being drawn into prostitution, sometimes with the complicity of the family.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is practiced by several ethnic groups in the extreme west and far eastern areas of the country. Clitoridectomy is the most common form of FGM.
Gender sensitivity in society
The Constitution prohibits discrimination based on sex, social origin, race, ethnicity, or religion. However, in practice there is discrimination against women, children, ethnic minorities, and disabled persons, including limited economic and political opportunities.
Despite the Constitution's provisions for women's rights, the deep-seated traditional belief in the submission of women to men results in discrimination in education, employment, and property rights.
Health data
Access to potable water: 48%
Medical services: 30% of the people have access to medical
services. (33.000 persons per doctor).
Maternal mortality rate: 1.200/100.000
Infant mortality: 124,9 deaths/1.000 live births (2000 est.)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): Females in several ethnic groups undergo this
procedure.
Female genital mutilation, which is widely condemned by international health experts as damaging to both physical and psychological health, is practiced by several ethnic groups in the extreme west and far eastern areas of the country. Clitoridectomy is the most common form of FGM. FGM is not illegal, but the Government is engaged firmly in an effort to eliminate the practice. The Government is working closely with a local NGO, the United Nations Children's Fund, and other donors to develop and distribute educational materials at government clinics and maternal health centers.
Violence against women
Domestic violence against women is widespread, although firm statistics are lacking. Wife beating is reportedly common, even in upper social classes. Families often intervene to prevent the worst abuses, and women may (and do) divorce because of physical abuse. While women have the right to seek redress in the customary or modern courts, few do so, due to ignorance of the legal system, fear of social stigma, or fear of repudiation. Women's rights organizations report that prostitution is often the only economic alternative for a woman who wants to leave her husband.
Main sources: U.S. Department of State, CIA,
UN, HRW, Mundo negro
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