DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Angola
Southern Africa · Country law profile
Angola: women’s rights and civic space laws
Angola’s 2010 Constitution guarantees equality, and the Penal Code adopted by Law 38/20 (in force since February 2021) criminalised sexual harassment and female genital mutilation, widened the legal grounds for abortion and removed the offence used against same-sex conduct. The 1988 Family Code sets the marriage age at 18 but still allows girls to marry at 15 and boys at 16 in exceptional cases. Women hold 41.4% of seats in the National Assembly, one of the highest shares in Africa. Civic space has narrowed sharply: police killed around 29 people during a July 2025 strike, and the President signed a restrictive NGO law (Law No. 2/26) in March 2026.
At a glance
| Capital | Luanda |
|---|---|
| Legal system | Civil law system of Portuguese origin, with customary law applied in family and land matters in practice |
| Official languages | Portuguese |
Key indicators
41.4% (91 of 220)Women in National Assembly (2025)
18Minimum legal age of marriage, with exceptions (1988)
23% (6% before 15)Women married before 18 (2016)
71.60World Bank WBL 2026 legal frameworks score (2026)
79.4World Bank WBL 2024 (WBL 1.0) score (2024)
Regional and international treaties
| Treaty | Status | Reservations or notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maputo Protocol | signed 22/01/2007 / ratified 30/08/2007 / deposited 09/11/2007 | |
| CEDAW | acceded 17 September 1986 | None recorded in the sources consulted |
| CEDAW Optional Protocol | acceded 1 November 2007 | |
| African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child | ratified 11/04/1992 / deposited 07/10/1999 | |
| ILO C190 (Violence and Harassment) | ratified 11 June 2025; in force for Angola from 11 June 2026 | |
| ILO C100 (Equal Remuneration) | ratified 4 June 1976 | |
| ILO C111 (Discrimination, Employment and Occupation) | ratified 4 June 1976 | |
| ICCPR | acceded 10 January 1992 | |
| Kampala Convention | signed 27/01/2012 / ratified 14/05/2013 / deposited 14/06/2013 | |
| AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo) | ratified 21/02/2020 / deposited 11/05/2020 | |
| Budapest Convention on Cybercrime | Not a party, signatory or invited State |
Constitution
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Angola, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Equality guarantees | Articles 21, 23 and 35 are cited by Equality Now as the constitutional basis for equality between women and men and for equal rights within the family |
| Quotas or parity | IPU Parline reports a legal requirement of at least 30% representation of each sex in directive bodies at all levels, citing Law 20/10; no reserved seats |
National laws
Sexual harassment
Penal Code (Law 38/20)
Criminalises sexual harassment (Human Rights Watch).
Gaps: The World Bank found no applicable provisions on sexual harassment in employment law.
Source: hrw.org
Child marriage and age of marriage
Family Code, 1988, Article 24
Sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage for both sexes, with exceptions allowing girls from 15 and boys from 16 to marry with parental consent or court approval when deemed in the interest of the minors.
Gaps: The CEDAW Committee urged Angola to revise the Family Code to set 18 with no exceptions.
Source: girlsnotbrides.org
Family and personal status
Family Code, 1988; Penal Code (Law 38/20), Article 238
Either spouse may petition for divorce (Art. 78); parental authority is equal (Arts. 127, 131); polygamy is a criminal offence under Article 238 of the Penal Code.
Gaps: Polygamy persists in rural areas and unregistered or customary marriages lack legal protection (Equality Now).
Source: equalitynow.org
Inheritance and succession
Civil Code, Arts. 2132, 2133 and 2139(1); Family Code, Art. 75
Gives sons and daughters and surviving spouses equal inheritance rights and protects widows.
Gaps: Customary practice sometimes excludes women; Equality Now recommends awareness-raising on widows’ rights.
Source: worldbank.org
Land and property
Family Code, Arts. 49 and 54 to 56
Spouses have equal administrative power over property; property acquired during marriage is split equally on divorce; de facto unions of 3 or more years are recognised.
Source: equalitynow.org
Political participation and quotas
Law 20/10 (as cited by IPU Parline)
Requires at least 30% representation of each sex in directive bodies at all levels.
Gaps: No reserved seats.
Source: data.ipu.org
Labour and maternity
General Labour Law (Lei Geral do Trabalho); Presidential Decree No. 8/11
Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value and bans sex discrimination; maternity leave is paid by social security; pregnant workers are protected from dismissal; paternity leave exists.
Gaps: Women are barred from some dangerous or industrial jobs (Art. 243); retirement ages differ by sex (Presidential Decree 299/20).
Source: worldbank.org
Same-sex relations
Penal Code (Law 38/20), in force February 2021
Consensual same-sex conduct is not criminalised; the former ‘vices against nature’ provision was removed and discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment and services is a crime (Arts. 212 and 214).
Gaps: Marriage is limited to a man and a woman (Equality Now).
Source: hrw.org
Gender-based and domestic violence
Lei n.º 25/11, de 14 de Julho, Lei contra a Violência Doméstica
Criminalises domestic violence in its sexual, patrimonial, psychological, verbal and physical forms, as well as family abandonment.
Gaps: The CEDAW Committee noted weak implementation and encouragement of mediation over prosecution. It also noted the absence of explicit criminalisation of marital rape.
Source: hrlibrary.umn.edu
Abortion and sexual and reproductive health
Código Penal, Lei n.º 38/20
The Penal Code in force since 10 February 2021 expands the circumstances in which abortion is legally permitted.
Gaps: Abortion outside the permitted grounds remains a crime.
Source: hrw.org
Trafficking
Código Penal, Lei n.º 38/20, articles 177, 178, 189, 190 and 196
Criminalises slavery, labour trafficking, adult sex trafficking and child sex trafficking with penalties of up to 15 years of imprisonment.
Gaps: The 2020 Code removed sexual exploitation as a purpose in article 178, so not all forms of internal sex trafficking are criminalised.
Source: ecoi.net
Online violence and cybercrime
Lei n.º 7/17, de 16 de Fevereiro (law on the protection of networks and computer systems)
Protects computer networks and systems and provides the framework for addressing offences committed through them.
Source: apd.ao
Data protection
Lei n.º 22/11, de 17 de Junho, Lei da Protecção de Dados Pessoais
Regulates the processing of personal data and is enforced by the Agência de Protecção de Dados.
Source: apd.ao
Women and girls with disabilities
Lei n.º 21/12, Lei da Pessoa com Deficiência
Sets out the rights of persons with disabilities, including family support and work-life balance measures.
Gaps: The law has no specific provisions on women or girls with disabilities.
Source: angolex.com
Human rights defenders
Lei do Estatuto das Organizações Não-Governamentais (approved in general terms by the National Assembly on 25 May 2023)
Places NGOs under registration and oversight by a government-appointed supervisory body with annual activity and funding reports.
Gaps: Analysts argue it breaches the constitutional right to form associations without administrative authorisation and uses vague terms such as subversive actions.
Source: cmi.no
Human rights defenders
Decreto Presidencial n.º 74/15, Regulamento das Organizações Não Governamentais
Regulates the registration and activities of non-governmental organisations.
Gaps: Angola has no specific law protecting human rights defenders.
Source: icnl.org
Civic space
| NGO and association law | Law No. 2/26 on Non-Governmental Organisations, passed on 22 January 2026 and signed in March 2026: requires administrative authorisation (Art. 6), allows extensive monitoring (Arts. 7 and 34), administrative suspension up to 120 days (Art. 30), and bans international capital transfers. |
|---|
Recent developments
- March 2026. President signed Law No. 2/26 on Non-Governmental Organisations.
- 22 January 2026. Parliament passed the NGO statute bill and a draft law on online misinformation.
- 28 July 2025. Police response to a three-day taxi strike left around 29 dead and over 1,200 arrested.
- 12 July 2025. Police dispersed an authorised protest against fuel price rises in Luanda with tear gas and batons.
- 11 June 2025. Angola ratified ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment, with six other ILO conventions.
Reforms recommended
Reforms recommended by the African Commission, UN treaty bodies or national organisations, as reported in the sources below.
- Amend Article 24 of the Family Code to set 18 as the minimum marriage age with no exceptions (CEDAW Committee).
- Repeal or substantially amend Law No. 2/26 on NGOs, removing prior authorisation, administrative suspension and funding restrictions (Human Rights Watch).
- Ensure independent investigations into protest killings in July 2025 (Human Rights Watch).
- Adopt explicit sexual harassment protections in employment law and equalise retirement ages (World Bank).
- Strengthen enforcement of widows’ inheritance rights against customary exclusion (Equality Now).
Being verified. RFLD is checking the laws on the following topics against official texts and will add them to this page: rape and sexual offences, harmful practices, girls’ education, social protection, nationality, access to justice and legal aid, older persons. 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. 10 of the 13 human rights and governance treaties below are ratified.
Other AU treaties (16)
Sources (28)
- data.ipu.org · data on women
- girlsnotbrides.org · angola
- documents1.worldbank.org · P179153 156eebab c7a8 46ea aefa ab7ca80708a0
- wbl.worldbank.org · WBL2024 Economy Scores
- au.int · 37077 sl PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEO…
- treaties.un.org · ViewDetails
- treaties.un.org · iv 8 b.en
- au.int · 36804 sl AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE…
- ilo.org · angola strengthens its commitment ilo ratification seven …
- hrlibrary.umn.edu · ratification angola
- treaties.un.org · iv 4.en
- au.int · 36846 sl AFRICAN UNION CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION AND …
- au.int · 29560 sl AFRICAN UNION CONVENTION ON CYBER SECURITY AND P…
- coe.int · parties observers
- equalitynow.org · EN Africa Family Laws Angola
- hrw.org · angola
- worldbank.org · WBL24 2 0 Angola
- hrw.org · angolas president signs repressive civil society law
- hrw.org · angola reject bill to restrict civil society
- hrw.org · angola
- hrw.org · angola police use excessive force against peaceful protes…
- ippf.org · angola decriminalizes same sex relations
- hrlibrary.umn.edu · CEDAW concluding observations on Angola 2013
- ecoi.net · US State Department 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report: Angola
- apd.ao · Agência de Protecção de Dados: Legislação
- angolex.com · Lei da Pessoa com Deficiência de Angola
- cmi.no · Subverting the Constitution and Curtailing Civil Society: Angola’s New Law on NGOs
- icnl.org · Presidential Decree No. 74/15 Approving the Regulation of NGOs
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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.