Country fact sheet: Mali
Women’s rights in law and practice in Mali: key indicators, treaties, ten laws and their gaps, recent developments and reforms recommended.
Last updated · October 30, 2026
Country fact sheet · Mali · women’s rights in law and practice
Read from RFLD’s Mali legal profile, October 2026. “Gaps recorded” means a treaty body, the government or national organisations have reported shortcomings in the law or its application.
Treaty commitments
| Maputo Protocol | signed 09/12/2003 / ratified 13/01/2005 / deposited 03/02/2005 |
| CEDAW | signed 05/02/1985 / ratified 10/09/1985 |
| CEDAW Optional Protocol | accession 05/12/2000 |
| African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child | signed 28/02/1996 / ratified 03/06/1998 / deposited 14/08/1998 |
| ILO C190 Violence and Harassment Convention | Not ratified (as of May 2026) |
Ten laws that matter for women, and their gaps
| Topic | Law | Gaps recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Gender-based and domestic violence | No specific law on gender-based or domestic violence | The CEDAW Committee and the World Bank found no legislation addressing domestic violence. |
| Female genital mutilation | No specific law criminalising FGM (Code pénal, article 213 not applied) | No prosecutions of excision practitioners have been registered under the general Criminal Code provision. |
| Child marriage and age of marriage | Code of Persons and the Family (2011) | Below the age of 18 set by Article 6 of the Maputo Protocol. The national strategy for ending child marriage covered 2020 to 2023. |
| Family and personal status | Loi n° 2011-087 du 30 décembre 2011 portant Code des personnes et de la famille, articles 307, 316, 319, 366 and 373 | Waiting periods before remarriage apply only to divorced women and widows; the Committee described many provisions as discriminatory. |
| Land and property | Loi n° 06-40/AN-RM du 16 août 2006 portant loi d’orientation agricole | The 2000 Land Code still applies customary law to succession and property administration. |
| Abortion and sexual and reproductive health | Loi n° 02-044 du 24 juin 2002 relative à la santé de la reproduction | – |
| Political participation and quotas | Law No. 2015-052 of 18 December 2015; Electoral Law No. 2022-019 of 24 June 2022 | The current National Transitional Council is appointed by decree, and political parties were dissolved in May 2025, so the quota has no electoral application during the transition. |
| Human rights defenders | Loi n° 2018-003 du 12 janvier 2018 relative aux défenseurs des droits de l’homme, et Décret n° 2020-0087/P-RM du 18 février 2020 | The implementing decree limits protection to defenders holding a government-issued professional card and has no specific provisions for women defenders. |
| Online violence and cybercrime | Loi n° 2019-056 du 5 décembre 2019 portant répression de la cybercriminalité | – |
Recent developments
- October 2025. A former Prime Minister was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment over a social media post.
- September 2025. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.
- 10 July 2025. Revised Transitional Charter enacted, giving the transitional president a five-year mandate renewable until ‘pacification’.
- May 2025. Military authorities dissolved all political parties and affiliated organisations.
- October 2024. New Penal Code criminalising same-sex relations (up to seven years) adopted.
Reforms recommended
- Raise the minimum age of marriage for girls from 16 to 18 in the Code of Persons and the Family, in line with Article 6 of the Maputo Protocol (Girls Not Brides).
- Renew and fund a national strategy on ending child marriage after the 2020 to 2023 strategy (Girls Not Brides).
- Reverse the dissolution of political parties and release people prosecuted for peaceful expression online (International IDEA).
Sexual violence law reform since 2020
RFLD and its member organisations have advocated for stronger laws on sexual violence in Mali since 2020. Pending: A draft law on gender-based violence, under discussion for years; no specific FGM law.
RFLD in Mali
Mali is one of the eight countries of RFLD’s Afrofeminist Initiative for Human Rights Development in Francophone West Africa, supported by the SEA-T programme (GIZ, on behalf of BMZ). See our countries of work and the West Africa legal scorecard 2026.
Sources and updates
Every entry comes from RFLD’s Mali legal profile, which cites the official text or source for each line. Last checked: October 2026. Corrections: programs@rflgd.org.
Frequently asked questions
Has Mali ratified the Maputo Protocol?
Yes. Mali’s status is: signed 09/12/2003 / ratified 13/01/2005 / deposited 03/02/2005.
What is the minimum age of marriage in Mali?
Sets the minimum age of marriage at 16 for girls and 18 for boys; persons over 15 may marry with authorisation of the head of the administrative district and parental consent. Gap recorded: Below the age of 18 set by Article 6 of the Maputo Protocol. The national strategy for ending child marriage covered 2020 to 2023. (Code of Persons and the Family (2011))
Is female genital mutilation banned in Mali?
No specific law criminalising FGM (Code pénal, article 213 not applied). FGM is not specifically criminalised even though prevalence is about 90 percent; a bill submitted in 2009 has not been adopted. Gap recorded: No prosecutions of excision practitioners have been registered under the general Criminal Code provision.
Does Mali have a law on violence against women?
No specific law on gender-based or domestic violence. Mali has no dedicated statute on gender-based or domestic violence; a draft bill has been under discussion for years. Gap recorded: The CEDAW Committee and the World Bank found no legislation addressing domestic violence.
Does Mali have a gender quota?
Law No. 2015-052 of 18 December 2015; Electoral Law No. 2022-019 of 24 June 2022. Electoral lists with three or more candidates may not include more than 70 per cent of either sex; non-compliant lists are rejected.
Cite and share
How to cite: RFLD (2026). Country fact sheet: Mali. Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement. https://rflgd.org/country-fact-sheets/mali-fact-sheet/ (accessed [date]).
Free to quote and share with attribution. Corrections: programs@rflgd.org.
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