§ RFLD

Country fact sheet: Senegal

Women’s rights in law and practice in Senegal: key indicators, treaties, ten laws and their gaps, recent developments and reforms recommended.

Last updated · October 30, 2026

41.2% (68 of 165)Women in National Assembly (2026)

Country fact sheet · Senegal · women’s rights in law and practice

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Senegal: legal coverage on ten topics

Read from RFLD’s Senegal 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 26/12/2003; ratified 27/12/2004; deposited 30/01/2005
CEDAW	signed 29/07/1980; ratified 05/02/1985
CEDAW Optional Protocol	signed 10/12/1999; ratified 26/05/2000
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child	signed 18/05/1992; ratified 29/09/1998; deposited 30/10/1998
ILO C190 Violence and Harassment Convention	not ratified

Women leaders at an RFLD convening. RFLD member organisations use these laws in their advocacy. Photo: RFLD, taken with the consent of participants.

Ten laws that matter for women, and their gaps

Topic	Law	Gaps recorded
Gender-based and domestic violence	Loi n° 99-05 du 29 janvier 1999 modifiant certaines dispositions du Code pénal (article 297 bis, violences conjugales)	–
Rape and sexual offences	Loi n° 2020-05 du 10 janvier 2020 criminalisant le viol et la pédophilie (modifiant le Code pénal)	–
Female genital mutilation	Code pénal, article 299 bis (introduced by Loi n° 99-05 du 29 janvier 1999)	–
Child marriage and age of marriage	Loi n° 72-61 du 12 juin 1972 portant Code de la famille, article 111	The minimum age for girls remains below 18, the age required by the Maputo Protocol.
Family and personal status	Loi n° 72-61 du 12 juin 1972 portant Code de la famille	Advocates criticise the code’s structure built on the primacy of the father, including unequal parental authority and limits on paternity searches.
Abortion and sexual and reproductive health	Loi n° 65-60 du 21 juillet 1965 portant Code pénal, articles 305 et 305 bis	The Penal Code contains no exception for rape or incest, which the Maputo Protocol requires.
Political participation and quotas	Loi n° 2010-11 du 28 mai 2010 instituant la parité absolue Homme-Femme dans toutes les institutions totalement ou partiellement électives	Parity is weaker in local bodies and in appointed posts, which the law does not cover.
Human rights defenders	No specific law on human rights defenders	Defenders have no specific legal protection.

Laws on sexual violence adopted since 2020

RFLD and its member organisations contributed to the advocacy behind these laws in Senegal:

Loi n° 2020-05 du 10 janvier 2020 criminalisant le viol et la pédophilie (2020). Makes rape and paedophilia crimes tried as felonies; before, rape was a crime only when it caused death.

See all 13 laws in the register of laws and policies we helped change.

RFLD in Senegal

Senegal 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 Senegal legal profile, which cites the official text or source for each line. Last checked: October 2026. Corrections: programs@rflgd.org.

Frequently asked questions

Has Senegal ratified the Maputo Protocol?

Yes. Senegal’s status is: signed 26/12/2003; ratified 27/12/2004; deposited 30/01/2005.

What is the minimum age of marriage in Senegal?

Sets the minimum age of marriage at 16 for women and 18 for men. The president of the regional court may grant an age dispensation for serious reasons after an inquiry. Gap recorded: The minimum age for girls remains below 18, the age required by the Maputo Protocol. (Loi n° 72-61 du 12 juin 1972 portant Code de la famille, article 111)

Is female genital mutilation banned in Senegal?

Code pénal, article 299 bis (introduced by Loi n° 99-05 du 29 janvier 1999). Punishes total or partial excision, or an attempt, with six months to five years’ imprisonment. Medical staff receive the maximum penalty and life imprisonment applies where the victim dies.

Does Senegal have a law on violence against women?

Loi n° 99-05 du 29 janvier 1999 modifiant certaines dispositions du Code pénal (article 297 bis, violences conjugales). Makes a deliberate assault on a spouse a specific offence, punished by one to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 CFA francs where it causes more than 20 days of incapacity. Heavier penalties apply where the violence causes mutilation or death.

Does Senegal have a gender quota?

Loi n° 2010-11 du 28 mai 2010 instituant la parité absolue Homme-Femme dans toutes les institutions totalement ou partiellement électives. Requires gender parity on candidate lists for fully or partly elected bodies, and lists that do not respect parity are rejected. Women held 43.3 per cent of seats in the National Assembly at the time of the 2022 CEDAW review.

Country fact sheetsOne printable page per country West Africa legal scorecard 202615 countries, seven questions, one table Women’s rights laws in 55 countriesLegal profiles of every AU state Maputo Protocol HubRatification, reservations, languages CEDAW and UPR calendarUpcoming UN reviews Decisions and enforcementAfrican court rulings and compliance Women icons of Africa2,500+ women who shaped the continent Laws and policies we helped changeThe evidence-based register

How to cite: RFLD (2026). Country fact sheet: Senegal. Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement. https://rflgd.org/country-fact-sheets/senegal-fact-sheet/ (accessed [date]).

Free to quote and share with attribution. Corrections: programs@rflgd.org.

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Aid to women’s organisations is falling. RFLD moves funding fast to women-led organisations and defenders, in French and English, through a network of 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 African countries.L’aide aux organisations de femmes recule. Le RFLD achemine vite les financements vers les organisations de femmes et les défenseures, en français et en anglais, grâce à un réseau de 1 143 organisations membres dans plus de 35 pays africains.

RFLD currently serves as Co-Chair of the SEA-T Programme Advisory Council, mandated to ensure the programme’s direction, priorities, and resources are meaningfully aligned with the visions of African women-led civil society. The SEA-T Programme is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.Le RFLD assure actuellement la coprésidence du Conseil consultatif du programme SEA-T, chargé de veiller à ce que l’orientation, les priorités et les ressources du programme soient réellement alignées sur les visions de la société civile africaine portée par les femmes. Le programme SEA-T est financé par le ministère fédéral allemand de la Coopération économique et du Développement (BMZ) et mis en œuvre par la Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. See the partnershipVoir le partenariat