DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Cabo Verde

West Africa · Country law profile

Cabo Verde: women’s rights and civic space laws

Cabo Verde has one of the strongest legal frameworks for women’s political participation in Africa: a parity law adopted in November 2019 requires at least 40% of candidates of each sex, and women won 34 of 72 National Assembly seats (47.2%) in May 2026. It has ratified the Maputo Protocol, the CEDAW Optional Protocol, the Malabo Convention and the Budapest Convention. It scores 75.03 on the World Bank’s 2026 legal frameworks index for women.

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	Praia
Legal system	Civil law system based on the Portuguese model
Official languages	Portuguese

Key indicators

47.2% (34 of 72)Women in National Assembly (2026)

75.03World Bank WBL 2026 legal frameworks index (2026)

Regional and international treaties

Treaty	Status	Reservations or notes
Maputo Protocol	ratified 21/06/2005 / deposited 22/07/2005
CEDAW	acceded 5 Dec 1980	None listed in the UN Treaty Collection status page
CEDAW Optional Protocol	acceded 10 Oct 2011
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child	signed 27/02/1992 / ratified 20/07/1993 / deposited 01/09/1993
ILO C100 Equal Remuneration	ratified 16 Oct 1979
ILO C111 Discrimination (Employment and Occupation)	ratified 3 Apr 1979
ICCPR	acceded 6 Aug 1993
Kampala Convention	Not signed or ratified (AU status list)
AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo)	ratified 13/11/2020 / deposited 05/02/2022
Budapest Convention on Cybercrime	acceded 19 June 2018 / entered into force 1 October 2018; signatory of the Second Additional Protocol on electronic evidence

Constitution

Quotas or parity	Parity law adopted in November 2019 requiring at least 40% of candidates of each sex

National laws

Political participation and quotas

Parity law of November 2019

Requires at least 40% of candidates of each sex on electoral lists.

Source: data.ipu.org

Gender-based and domestic violence

Lei n.º 84/VII/2011, de 10 de janeiro de 2011 (Lei Especial sobre a Violência Baseada no Género)

Special law that covers physical, psychological, sexual and patrimonial violence and makes gender-based violence a public crime prosecuted without a complaint. It provides victim support and perpetrator rehabilitation.

Source: digitallibrary.un.org

Rape and sexual offences

Lei n.º 84/VII/2011, de 10 de janeiro de 2011 (Lei Especial sobre a Violência Baseada no Género)

Recognises sexual violence within intimate relationships, including marital rape, and sets aggravated penalties of up to 30 years’ imprisonment for the most serious cases.

Gaps: Marital rape is addressed in the GBV law, while the Penal Code provisions on sexual offences were not detailed in the government’s reply to CEDAW.

Source: cmalex.net

Sexual harassment

Lei n.º 84/VII/2011, de 10 de janeiro de 2011 (Lei Especial sobre a Violência Baseada no Género)

Lists sexual harassment as one of the forms of gender-based violence punished under the law.

Source: cmalex.net

Gender-based and domestic violence

Código Penal, artigo 134

Penal Code provision applied to domestic violence, alongside the special GBV law.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Access to justice and legal aid

Lei n.º 18/VIII/2012, de 13 de setembro de 2012 (Office of Asset Recovery)

Allocates 15 percent of the proceeds of confiscated assets to the fight against gender-based violence.

Gaps: No dedicated legal aid law for survivors was cited by the government.

Source: digitallibrary.un.org

Trafficking

Código Penal, artigo 271-A (tráfico de pessoas)

Criminalises trafficking for sexual or labour exploitation. It also criminalises trafficking for organ removal. Penalties range from four to twelve years’ imprisonment depending on the circumstances and the victim’s age.

Source: antislaverylaw.ac.uk

Child marriage and age of marriage

Código Civil (1997), artigos 133 e 1575

Sets the age of majority at 18 and allows a minor to marry with the consent of parents or guardians, with court approval if consent is refused.

Gaps: Marriage of minors remains possible with parental consent.

Source: antislaverylaw.ac.uk

Family and personal status

Código Civil, artigos 1564, 1627, 1628 e 1733

Prohibits polygamy and grants equal divorce rights. It gives both spouses equal standing as head of household with no duty of obedience.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Inheritance and succession

Código Civil, artigos 2064, 2070 e 2072

Gives sons and daughters, and surviving wives and husbands, equal inheritance rights.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Land and property

Código Civil, artigo 1638, e Decreto-Lei n.º 2/2007, artigos 5 e 8

Grants women equal rights to own and administer property and recognises non-monetary contributions in the division of marital property.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Labour and maternity

Decreto-Legislativo n.º 5/2007, de 16 de outubro de 2007 (Código Laboral), alterado pelo Decreto-Legislativo n.º 5/2010

Prohibits sex discrimination in hiring, conditions, pay and dismissal. It provides maternity and paternity leave and protects pregnant workers.

Gaps: The World Bank found no explicit guarantee of equal pay for work of equal value.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Social protection

Decreto-Lei n.º 50/2009, artigo 44

Sets how maternity benefits are paid through social security.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Social protection

Decreto-Lei n.º 5/2004, artigos 15 e 81

Pension rules covering retirement age and pension credits for periods of childcare.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Nationality

Lei n.º 33/X/2023, artigos 8 e 10

Allows women and men to pass Cabo Verdean nationality to their spouses and children on equal terms.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Data protection

Lei n.º 133/V/2001, de 22 de janeiro, regime jurídico geral de proteção de dados pessoais, amended by Lei n.º 41/VIII/2013 and Lei n.º 121/IX/2021

Sets the general legal regime for the protection of personal data. Lei n.º 42/VIII/2013 created the national data protection commission (CNPD).

Source: extranet.who.int

Women and girls with disabilities

Lei n.º 40/VIII/2013, de 17 de setembro

Framework law on the prevention, rehabilitation and participation of persons with disabilities.

Gaps: No provision specific to women and girls with disabilities.

Source: boe.incv.cv

Older persons

Lei n.º 26/X/2023, Estatuto da Pessoa Idosa

Published in the Boletim Oficial on 8 May 2023. Sets out the rights of older persons.

Source: faolex.fao.org

Female genital mutilation

No specific law on female genital mutilation

The 2003 Penal Code has no FGM offence; general bodily harm offences apply. The CEDAW Committee (2019) asked the State to watch for possible cases.

Source: digitallibrary.un.org

Harmful practices

No specific law on harmful practices

The CEDAW Committee (2019) noted that the Civil Code recognises de facto unions from age 19 and linked this to child marriage.

Source: digitallibrary.un.org

Abortion and sexual and reproductive health

Law of 31 December 1986 on the voluntary termination of pregnancy

Allows abortion on request up to 12 weeks, and later on health and foetal grounds.

Source: mentalhealthdataprizeafrica.aphrc.org

Girls’ education

Decreto-Legislativo n.º 2/2010, de 7 de maio, Bases do Sistema Educativo

Makes basic education compulsory, free and universal (articles 13 and 14).

Source: boe.incv.cv

Online violence and cybercrime

Lei n.º 8/IX/2017, Lei do Cibercrime

Cybercrime law, in force since March 2017.

Source: coe.int

Human rights defenders

No specific law on human rights defenders

The CEDAW Committee (2019) mentions only a draft law on a National Commission for Human Rights and Citizenship.

Gaps: Defenders have no specific legal protection.

Source: digitallibrary.un.org

Recent developments

18 June 2026. Janira Hopffer Almada elected Speaker of the National Assembly.
May 2026. Legislative elections: women won 34 of 72 seats (47.2%).
November 2023. Cabo Verde reviewed under the fourth cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review.

Reforms recommended

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

Ratify ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work (not yet ratified as of May 2026).

Being verified. RFLD is checking the laws on the following topics against official texts and will add them to this page: 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. 7 of the 13 human rights and governance treaties below are ratified.

AU treaty	Status	AU list dated
Maputo Protocol (rights of women)	Ratified 21/06/2005	19/09/2023
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights	Ratified 02/06/1987	15/06/2017
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child	Ratified 20/07/1993	14/02/2023
Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights	Not signed	14/02/2023
African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance	Ratified 12/10/2023	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 15/02/2011	19/09/2023
OAU Refugee Convention	Ratified 16/02/1989	16/05/2019
AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption	Not signed	14/02/2023
AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo)	Ratified 13/11/2020	02/02/2026

Other AU treaties (16)

AU treaty	Status	AU list dated
Protocol on Free Movement of Persons	Not signed	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	Not signed	18/06/2020
Protocol on the Peace and Security Council	Signed 2012, not ratified	27/04/2022
Protocol to the OAU Convention on Terrorism	Signed 2012, not ratified	15/06/2017
OAU Convention on Mercenarism	Signed 2012, 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 2012, 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 2023, not ratified	19/09/2023
Constitution of the Association of African Trade Promotion Organizations	Not signed	16/05/2019

Sources (19)

Other countries in West 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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