DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Djibouti

East Africa · Country law profile

Djibouti: women’s rights and civic space laws

Djibouti ratified CEDAW in 1998 and the Maputo Protocol in 2005. It criminalised FGM in its Penal Code and adopted a law on the protection of women and children victims of violence in 2020, yet marital rape is not criminalised and FGM prevalence remains high. The Family Code of 2002 sets 18 as the marriage age but keeps male guardianship and unequal inheritance shares. The Code is under revision. Civic space is rated closed by the CIVICUS Monitor.

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

At a glance

Capital	Djibouti
Legal system	Mixed system based on French civil law, Islamic law (applied through the Family Code to Muslims) and customary law
Official languages	French and Arabic

Key indicators

26.2% (17 of 65)Women in National Assembly (2026)

18 for both sexesMinimum legal age of marriage (2024)

About 13%Women married before 18

78.4%FGM prevalence (women 15 to 49) (2012)

383 per 100,000 live birthsMaternal mortality ratio (2012)

71.3World Bank Women, Business and the Law 1.0 index (2024)

50.0World Bank Women, Business and the Law 2.0 legal frameworks score (2024)

Regional and international treaties

Treaty	Status	Reservations or notes
Maputo Protocol	signed 18/12/2003 / ratified 02/02/2005 / deposited 04/02/2005
CEDAW	accession 02/12/1998
CEDAW Optional Protocol	Not a party
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child	signed 28/02/1992 / ratified 03/01/2011 / deposited 25/01/2011
ICCPR	accession 05/11/2002
Kampala Convention	signed 23/10/2009 / ratified 15/07/2015 / deposited 03/08/2015
AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo)	signed 12/05/2023; not ratified (AU list dated 02/02/2026)

Constitution

Constitution	Constitution of 1992, revised by the Constitutional Law of 2010
Equality guarantees	Article 1 sets the principle of non-discrimination on the basis of sex and equality before the law. Under Article 70, ratified treaties prevail over national laws.
Quotas or parity	A 2002 law set a 10% quota for women in elected posts and senior administration; a 2018 law raised it to at least 25% of each sex in legislative elections.

National laws

Gender-based and domestic violence

Law on the protection, prevention and care of women and children victims of violence (February 2020)

Provides a legal framework for preventing violence against women and children, including FGM, and for caring for victims.

Gaps: Domestic violence is not specifically criminalised, and the CEDAW Committee raised concern about cases being settled out of court.

Source: ohchr.org, equalitynow.org

Rape and sexual offences

Code pénal (1994), as revised in 2009

Criminalises rape and other sexual offences.

Gaps: Marital rape is not criminalised.

Source: equalitynow.org, rf-efh.org

Sexual harassment

Code du travail, Loi n° 133/AN/05/5ème L du 28 janvier 2006, as reformed in 2018

Protects workers against moral and sexual harassment with precise definitions and shifts the burden of proof to the employer once harassment is presumed.

Source: rf-efh.org

Sexual harassment

Code pénal (harassment provisions)

Provides criminal sanctions for sexual harassment.

Source: ohchr.org, equalitynow.org

Female genital mutilation

Code pénal as amended by Loi n° 55/AN/09/6ème L du 19 juillet 2009

Criminalises FGM and simplifies complaint procedures, building on the 1994 Penal Code ban.

Gaps: Enforcement is weak, including against accomplices, and prevalence was 78.4% in 2012.

Source: rf-efh.org, equalitynow.org

Child marriage and age of marriage

Code de la famille (2002), Article 14

Sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage for both women and men.

Gaps: Exceptions to the minimum age remain, according to Equality Now.

Source: rf-efh.org, equalitynow.org

Family and personal status

Code de la famille (2002), Articles 7, 22, 31 and 62

Applies to Muslims and requires a male tutor’s consent for a woman’s marriage. It names the husband head of the family and permits polygamy with judicial recourse for wives. Article 62 sets maintenance rights.

Gaps: The Code is under revision to remove discriminatory provisions.

Source: rf-efh.org, ohchr.org

Family and personal status

Code civil (2018), Article 163

Governs family matters for non-Muslims and sets the marriage age at 18.

Source: rf-efh.org

Access to justice and legal aid

Law of 25 June 2003 supplementing the Family Code

Set up personal status courts in place of the former Sharia courts.

Source: rf-efh.org

Inheritance and succession

Code de la famille (2002), Articles 115 to 118, 120, 130, 142 and 158

Gives male heirs double the share of female heirs in the same position.

Gaps: The CEDAW Committee identified inheritance as a discriminatory gap in the Family Code.

Source: rf-efh.org, ohchr.org

Abortion and sexual and reproductive health

Code pénal (abortion provisions)

Abortion is prohibited except to save the woman’s life.

Source: ohchr.org

Abortion and sexual and reproductive health

Loi n° 48/AN/99/4ème L du 3 juillet 1999 on health policy

Sets the orientation of national health policy.

Source: rf-efh.org

Political participation and quotas

Quota law of 2002, amended in 2018

The 2002 law set a 10% minimum for women in elected posts and the administration; the 2018 amendment requires at least 25% of candidates and elected members of either sex in legislative elections.

Gaps: The CEDAW Committee noted cultural obstacles to women’s participation.

Source: rf-efh.org, data.ipu.org, ohchr.org

Political participation and quotas

Loi n° 154/AN/12/6ème L on the National Gender Policy 2011 to 2021

Made the National Gender Policy the reference framework and named the Ministry of Women and Family as coordinator.

Source: rf-efh.org

Nationality

Code de la nationalité (2004)

Allows mothers to pass Djiboutian nationality directly to their children on the same basis as fathers.

Source: ohchr.org

Civic space

CIVICUS Monitor rating	Closed (12/100)
Human rights defenders law	No specific law protecting human rights defenders
Notes	Djibouti’s civic space is rated closed, one of the lowest ratings in Africa.

Data protection

Loi n° 019/AN/23/9ème L portant Code Numérique (promulgated 6 July 2025), Livre I: protection des données à caractère personnel

Adopted by the National Assembly on 30 June 2025 and published in the Journal officiel of 6 July 2025.

Source: journalofficiel.dj

Women and girls with disabilities

Loi n° 151/AN/22/8ème L du 18 juillet 2022

Replaces Loi n° 207/AN/17/7ème L on the rights of persons with disabilities. Loi n° 15/AN/18/8ème L created the national agency for persons with disabilities.

Gaps: The CRPD Committee noted that the earlier law did not address women with disabilities.

Source: ecoi.net

Harmful practices

Loi n° 152/AN/02/4ème L du 31 janvier 2002 portant Code de la Famille, articles 13 to 16

Sets the age of marriage at 18 but allows a minor to marry with a guardian’s consent or a judge’s authorisation. FGM is punished under Penal Code article 333, amended in 2009.

Gaps: Exceptions still allow child marriage.

Source: faolex.fao.org

Land and property

No specific law on women’s land rights; Code de la Famille, articles 32 and 104 to 110

The husband has no power over his wife’s own property, but inheritance shares are unequal.

Gaps: Unequal inheritance shares limit women’s access to land.

Source: faolex.fao.org

Girls’ education

Loi n° 96/AN/00/4ème L portant orientation du système éducatif djiboutien (10 August 2000)

Makes schooling compulsory from 6 to 16 and bars discrimination on grounds of sex.

Source: planipolis.iiep.unesco.org

Labour and maternity

Loi n° 133/AN/05/5ème L du 28 janvier 2006 portant Code du Travail, amended by Loi n° 51/AN/19/8ème L du 4 juillet 2019

Gives 26 weeks of paid maternity leave. A 2018 amendment bans sexual harassment at work.

Source: ccd.dj

Trafficking

Loi n° 133/AN/16/7ème L relative à la lutte contre la traite des personnes et le trafic illicite de migrants (2016)

Criminalises trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling.

Source: digitallibrary.un.org

Online violence and cybercrime

Loi n° 019/AN/23/9ème L portant Code Numérique (promulgated 6 July 2025)

Defines online offences and attacks on information systems.

Source: journalofficiel.dj

Human rights defenders

No specific law on human rights defenders

A 2014 law created the national human rights commission (CNDH).

Gaps: Defenders have no specific legal protection.

Source: djibouti.un.org

Older persons

No specific law on older persons

The State’s 2023 UPR report cites no law or bill on older persons.

Gaps: No law on the rights of older persons.

Source: digitallibrary.un.org

Recent developments

2018. The electoral quota for women in legislative elections was raised to 25%.
February 2020. A law on the protection of women and children victims of violence was adopted.
12 May 2023. Djibouti signed the AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection.
February 2024. The CEDAW Committee reviewed Djibouti, welcoming progress and noting remaining gaps in the Family Code.

Reforms recommended

Reforms recommended by the African Commission, UN treaty bodies or national organisations, as reported in the sources below.

Criminalise marital rape and adopt a specific domestic violence offence with protection orders.
Complete the revision of the Family Code to end male guardianship in marriage and unequal inheritance shares.
Remove exceptions to the minimum age of marriage of 18.
Strengthen enforcement of the FGM ban, including prosecution of accomplices.

Being verified. RFLD is checking the laws on the following topics against official texts and will add them to this page: social protection, vulnerable groups. Corrections and documents are welcome at programs@rflgd.org.

African Union treaties

Status of 29 African Union treaties as recorded in the official AU status lists published by the African Union Commission. The date of each list is shown: a ratification deposited after that date may not appear yet. 5 of the 13 human rights and governance treaties below are ratified.

AU treaty	Status	AU list dated
Maputo Protocol (rights of women)	Ratified 02/02/2005	19/09/2023
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights	Ratified 11/11/1991	15/06/2017
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child	Ratified 03/01/2011	14/02/2023
Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights	Signed 2005, not ratified	14/02/2023
African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance	Ratified 02/12/2012	08/07/2024
AU Convention on Ending Violence against Women and Girls	Signed 2025, not ratified	22/05/2026
Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities	Not signed	22/05/2026
Protocol on the Rights of Older Persons	Not signed	22/05/2026
Protocol on Social Protection and Social Security	Not signed	22/05/2026
African Youth Charter	Ratified 28/08/2008	19/09/2023
OAU Refugee Convention	Signed 2005, not ratified	16/05/2019
AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption	Signed 2005, not ratified	14/02/2023
AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo)	Signed 2023, not ratified	02/02/2026

Other AU treaties (16)

AU treaty	Status	AU list dated
Protocol on Free Movement of Persons	Signed 2018, not ratified	08/08/2023
Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights	Not signed	18/06/2020
Protocol on Amendments to the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights (Malabo Protocol)	Not signed	22/05/2026
Protocol of the Court of Justice of the African Union	Signed 2003, not ratified	18/06/2020
Protocol on the Peace and Security Council	Ratified 18/10/2005	27/04/2022
Protocol to the OAU Convention on Terrorism	Signed 2005, not ratified	15/06/2017
OAU Convention on Mercenarism	Signed 2005, not ratified	15/06/2017
Charter on Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development	Not signed	25/03/2022
Charter on Public Service and Administration	Not signed	08/07/2024
African Charter on Statistics	Signed 2023, not ratified	19/09/2023
Statute of the Pan African Intellectual Property Organization	Not signed	19/09/2023
African Road Safety Charter	Not signed	22/05/2026
Revised African Maritime Transport Charter	Not signed	25/03/2022
Phyto-sanitary Convention for Africa	Not signed	15/06/2017
Convention establishing the African Centre for Fertilizer Development	Signed 2005, not ratified	19/09/2023
Constitution of the Association of African Trade Promotion Organizations	Signed 2005, not ratified	16/05/2019

Sources (13)

Other countries in East Africa

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Information verified as of October 2026. This page is for information and advocacy and is not legal advice. Laws change: check the official text before relying on it. Part of the DƆNÙESÈ Data Center of the Women Leaders Network for Development (RFLD). See also the Maputo Protocol Hub and the Maputo Barometer.

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