DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Mauritania
North Africa · Country law profile
Mauritania: women’s rights and civic space laws
Mauritania has no standalone law on violence against women: the Karama bill has been withdrawn or blocked several times since 2017 under pressure from religious leaders. The Penal Code criminalises zina, which exposes survivors of sexual violence to prosecution, and marital rape and sexual harassment are not criminalised. The 2001 Personal Status Code sets the marriage age at 18 but lets guardians authorise earlier marriage; 37% of girls marry before 18 and FGM prevalence is about 64%. The CIVICUS Monitor upgraded Mauritania from ‘repressed’ to ‘obstructed’ in December 2025, while arrests of journalists and anti-slavery activists continue.
At a glance
| Capital | Nouakchott |
|---|---|
| Legal system | Mixed system combining Islamic law and codified civil law; the Personal Status Code applies Islamic rules to family matters |
| Official languages | Arabic |
Key indicators
23.3%Women in National Assembly (2026)
18Minimum legal age of marriage (2001)
37% (16% before 15)Child marriage rate (% married before 18)
64%FGM prevalence (women and girls aged 15 to 49)
9.3%Lifetime physical or sexual intimate partner violence
48.1 / 100World Bank Women, Business and the Law 1.0 index (2024)
35.0 / 100World Bank Women, Business and the Law 2.0 legal frameworks (2024)
Constitution
| Constitution | Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, 1991 (as revised, including in 2006 and 2012) |
|---|
National laws
Gender-based and domestic violence
No specific law; draft law on violence against women and girls (Karama bill, 54 articles)
The bill would set a comprehensive framework for prevention, protection, accountability and support for survivors, including specialised court chambers.
Gaps: Not adopted as of November 2024 after withdrawals in 2017 and 2018 and renewed opposition in 2023. HRW notes that drafts keep zina and narrow rape definitions.
Gender-based and domestic violence
Decree No. 2020-140 creating the National Observatory on the Rights of Women and Girls
Creates an advisory body to monitor women’s and girls’ rights. Its members come from state institutions (government and parliament) and from civil society.
Gaps: The Observatory sits under the Prime Minister’s Office, which limits its independence.
Source: secdev-foundation.org, ungeneva.org
Rape and sexual offences
Penal Code, Ordinance No. 83-162 of 9 July 1983, Articles 307 and 309
Article 309 criminalises rape; Article 307 criminalises zina (sexual relations outside marriage).
Gaps: Rape is narrowly defined and marital rape is not covered. Survivors risk prosecution for zina, including adolescent girls.
Source: hrw.org, secdev-foundation.org
Sexual harassment
No specific sexual harassment offence
Mauritanian law has no provision criminalising sexual harassment.
Gaps: The CEDAW Committee urged criminalisation in February 2023.
Source: data.unwomen.org
Female genital mutilation
General Child Protection Code (Law No. 2018-024 of 21 June 2018), Articles 79 and 80
Criminalises FGM on children without conditions; the delegation told CEDAW in 2023 that perpetrators face prison terms of up to six years.
Gaps: Rarely enforced; HRW found no recent prosecutions. FGM affects 64% of women and girls aged 15 to 49.
Child marriage and age of marriage
Personal Status Code (Law No. 2001-052 of 19 July 2001), Articles 6 and 9
Sets the minimum age of marriage at 18 for both sexes.
Gaps: Guardians may authorise marriage of minors if they consider it in the child’s interest, and a young girl’s silence counts as consent.
Child marriage and age of marriage
General Child Protection Code (Law No. 2018-024), Article 17
Punishes guardians who marry off a child against the child’s exclusive interest with 5 to 10 years in prison.
Gaps: The ‘exclusive interest’ test is undefined, so the provision does not ban child marriage outright.
Source: hrw.org
Harmful practices
Ordinance No. 2005-015 on the criminal protection of the child
Main criminal law protecting children from abuse and exploitation; Article 103 guarantees free legal representation for detained children.
Gaps: No specific law on force-feeding (leblouh), which Girls Not Brides identifies as a harmful practice linked to child marriage.
Source: archive.crin.org, girlsnotbrides.org
Family and personal status
Personal Status Code (Law No. 2001-052 of 19 July 2001)
Allows men up to four wives (Article 45), though a wife may stipulate monogamy in the contract. The husband is head of the family (Article 56), and divorce must be registered by a court (Article 83).
Gaps: A mother loses custody if she remarries outside close relations, and fathers hold priority guardianship. The Code was under review in 2023.
Inheritance and succession
Personal Status Code (Law No. 2001-052), Articles 244 to 310
Regulates inheritance according to Islamic rules.
Gaps: Women generally receive half the share of male heirs of the same degree.
Source: musawah.org
Abortion and sexual and reproductive health
Law No. 2017-025 of 15 November 2017 on reproductive health; Penal Code Article 293
Declares reproductive health a universal fundamental right (Article 7).
Gaps: Abortion is banned except when the pregnancy threatens the woman’s life, with no exception for rape (Article 22 and Penal Code Article 293).
Source: extranet.who.int, hrw.org
Girls’ education
Law No. 2001-054 of 19 July 2001 on compulsory basic education; General Child Protection Code, Article 35
Makes basic education compulsory, and the Child Protection Code protects the right of pregnant girls to continue their education.
Gaps: HRW reports that civil registration barriers keep some children out of school.
Source: archive.crin.org, hrw.org
Political participation and quotas
Electoral provisions on a national women’s list
Reserve a national list of 20 parliamentary seats for women and require parties to present lists alternating women and men.
Source: ungeneva.org
Labour and maternity
Labour Code (Law No. 2004-017 of 6 July 2004)
Provides for equal pay for equal work.
Source: archive.crin.org, ungeneva.org
Nationality
Nationality Code of 1961, amended by Law No. 2010-023 of 11 February 2011 and later reform
The delegation told CEDAW in 2023 that after amendment both mothers and fathers can pass nationality to their children and foreign spouses.
Trafficking
Law No. 2020-017 of 6 August 2020 on preventing and punishing trafficking in persons and protecting victims
Criminalises trafficking and provides for victim protection. An earlier law, No. 2003-025 of 17 July 2003, also punished trafficking.
Gaps: A national action plan ended in 2022 and was being updated.
Trafficking
Law of 2015 criminalising slavery and slavery-like practices
Criminalises slavery; special anti-slavery courts and a victims’ support fund have been set up.
Gaps: Arrests of anti-slavery activists continued in 2026.
Access to justice and legal aid
Ordinance No. 2006-05 of 26 January 2006 on legal aid
Provides full or partial legal aid before all courts to people with insufficient resources, with dedicated offices for family law and child cases.
Gaps: Applicants must also show a probable chance of success.
Source: archive.crin.org, ungeneva.org
Access to justice and legal aid
Law No. 2018-023 of 21 June 2018 on discrimination
Criminalises discrimination.
Source: ecoi.net, ungeneva.org
Online violence and cybercrime
Cybercrime law of 2016
Regulates internet use and criminalises online offences.
Gaps: It has no provisions on gender-based digital violence and has been used against bloggers and activists.
Source: secdev-foundation.org
Human rights defenders
Law No. 2021-004 on associations, foundations and networks
Governs how associations are created and run. It applies to foundations and networks as well.
Gaps: No specific law protecting human rights defenders.
Source: ige.mr
Civic space
| CIVICUS Monitor rating | Obstructed (score 44), upgraded from repressed in December 2025 |
|---|---|
| NGO and association law | Law No. 2021-004 on associations, foundations and networks |
| Cybercrime law | Cybercrime law of 2016, criticised for use against political bloggers and activists |
| Human rights defenders law | None identified |
| Notes | CIVICUS credits the upgrade to Mauritania joining the Partnership for Information and Democracy in January 2025 and regularising public media contracts. Judicial harassment of activists and excessive force against protesters remain concerns, with arrests of journalists and human rights defenders reported in October 2025 and of anti-corruption and anti-slavery activists in February 2026. |
Data protection
Loi n° 2017-020 du 22 juillet 2017 sur la protection des données à caractère personnel
Sets rules for the processing of personal data.
Source: ictpolicyafrica.org
Women and girls with disabilities
Ordonnance n° 2006-043 du 23 novembre 2006 relative à la promotion et la protection des personnes handicapées
General law on the rights of persons with disabilities.
Source: ungeneva.org
Social protection
Ordonnance n° 2005-006 instituant un régime d’assurance maladie, modifiée par la Loi n° 2010-018
Establishes the national health insurance fund (CNAM).
Source: finances.gov.mr
Older persons
No specific law on older persons
The State’s latest report to the African Commission names no law on older persons.
Gaps: No law on the rights of older persons.
Source: achpr.au.int
Recent developments
- February 2023. The CEDAW Committee reviewed Mauritania and urged criminalisation of domestic violence, marital rape, sexual harassment and child marriage.
- 2023. The Karama bill on violence against women faced renewed opposition from religious scholars and was not adopted.
- January 2025. Mauritania joined the Partnership for Information and Democracy.
- December 2025. CIVICUS upgraded Mauritania’s civic space rating from repressed to obstructed.
- February 2026. Authorities arrested anti-corruption and anti-slavery activists.
Reforms recommended
Reforms recommended by the African Commission, UN treaty bodies or national organisations, as reported in the sources below.
- Adopt the comprehensive law on violence against women and girls, with criminalisation of marital rape and sexual harassment.
- Repeal the zina offence (Penal Code Article 307) and end prosecution of survivors of sexual violence.
- Remove guardians’ power to authorise marriage under 18 in the Personal Status Code and criminalise child marriage.
- Enforce the FGM ban in the General Child Protection Code with prosecutions.
- Withdraw the reservations to CEDAW Articles 13 and 16 and allow abortion at least in cases of rape.
Being verified. RFLD is checking the laws on the following topics against official texts and will add them to this page: land and property, 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. 9 of the 13 human rights and governance treaties below are ratified.
| AU treaty | Status | AU list dated |
|---|---|---|
| Maputo Protocol (rights of women) | Ratified 21/09/2005 | 19/09/2023 |
| African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights | Ratified 14/06/1986 | 15/06/2017 |
| African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child | Ratified 21/09/2005 | 14/02/2023 |
| Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights | Ratified 19/05/2005 | 14/02/2023 |
| African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance | Ratified 07/07/2008 | 08/07/2024 |
| AU Convention on Ending Violence against Women and Girls | Not signed | 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 21/03/2012 | 19/09/2023 |
| OAU Refugee Convention | Ratified 22/07/1972 | 16/05/2019 |
| AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption | Ratified 16/06/2022 | 14/02/2023 |
| AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo) | Ratified 19/04/2023 | 02/02/2026 |
Other AU treaties (16)
Sources (16)
- musawah.org · Mauritania Overview Table
- girlsnotbrides.org · mauritania
- upr-info.org · fighting violence against women mauritania
- data.unwomen.org · 600
- wbl.worldbank.org · WBL2024 Economy Scores
- ungeneva.org · experts committee elimination discrimination against women 2
- secdev-foundation.org · Mauritania DVAW 2024 EN
- hrw.org · mauritania submission un committee elimination discrimina…
- ecoi.net · national laws
- archive.crin.org · islamic republic of mauritania access to justice fr 0
- refworld.org · 18941
- extranet.who.int · loi no 2017 025 relative la sante de la reproduction
- clr.africanchildforum.org · Mauritanie
- monitor.civicus.org · mauritania
- ige.mr · 21 Loi n° 2021 004 société civile Fr
- monitor.civicus.org · africa
Other countries in North Africa
AlgeriaCountry law profileEgyptCountry law profileLibyaCountry law profileMoroccoCountry law profileSahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicCountry law profileTunisiaCountry law profile
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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