DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Chad
Central Africa · Country law profile
Chad: women’s rights and civic space laws
Chad has a 2023 Constitution that guarantees equality, prohibits female genital mutilation and early marriage, and gives women and men an equal right to pass nationality to their children. The 2017 Penal Code criminalises rape, sexual harassment and FGM, a 2015 law sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage, and a January 2025 ordinance on violence against women and girls made domestic violence a specific offence for the first time. Women’s rights remain constrained by a colonial-era Civil Code that names the husband as head of household, the absence of an adopted Personal and Family Code, and one of the highest child marriage rates in the world. Chad signed the Maputo Protocol in 2004 but has not ratified it, and civic space is rated repressed, with protest bans, media suspensions and the jailing of the main opposition leader in 2025.
At a glance
| Capital | N’Djamena |
|---|---|
| Legal system | Civil law system based on the French model, alongside customary and Islamic law applied in personal and family matters |
| Official languages | French and Arabic |
Key indicators
33.5% (63 of 188)Women in National Assembly (2026)
36.2% (25 of 69)Women in Senate (2025)
18 for girls and boysMinimum legal age of marriage (2015)
61%Women aged 20 to 24 married before 18 (2025)
52.5World Bank Women, Business and the Law 2024, legal frameworks (2024)
Regional and international treaties
| Treaty | Status | Reservations or notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maputo Protocol | Signed 06/12/2004; not ratified (ratification reported as in process at the June 2025 CEDAW dialogue) | |
| CEDAW | Acceded 9 June 1995 | None recorded |
| CEDAW Optional Protocol | Signed 26 September 2012; not ratified | |
| African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child | ratified 30/03/2000 / deposited 04/04/2000 | None listed |
| ICCPR | Acceded 9 June 1995 | |
| Kampala Convention | Signed 24/06/2010; ratified 11/07/2011; deposited 13/10/2011 | |
| AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo) | Signed 14/06/2015; not ratified (AU list dated 02/02/2026) |
Constitution
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Chad adopted in 2023; revised by Parliament in October 2025 to extend presidential terms to seven years and remove term limits |
|---|---|
| Quotas or parity | Ordinance No. 012/PR/2018, ratified by Law No. 022/PR/2018, sets a progressive minimum 30% quota for women in elected and appointed posts; the February 2024 Electoral Code requires a 30% quota of women candidates in legislative, provincial and communal elections. |
National laws
Rape and sexual offences
Law No. 001/PR/2017 of 8 May 2017 on the Penal Code, Articles 349 to 350
Criminalises rape; the 2025 ordinance sets 8 to 15 years in prison, rising to 30 years with aggravating circumstances.
Gaps: Marital rape is not explicitly criminalised and the rape definition is not based on consent (OECD SIGI).
Source: webfs.oecd.org
Sexual harassment
Penal Code 2017, Article 341; Ordinance of 21 January 2025
The Penal Code punishes sexual harassment with 6 months to 2 years in prison and fines; the 2025 ordinance raises this to 6 months to 3 years and fines of 1 to 5 million CFA francs.
Gaps: OECD SIGI notes that protections do not specifically cover the workplace, schools, public spaces or online settings.
Source: digitallibrary.un.org
Female genital mutilation
Law No. 006/PR/2002 on Reproductive Health (Articles 9 and 18); Penal Code 2017; Ordinance of 21 January 2025; Constitution
FGM is criminalised. The Penal Code sets 1 to 5 years in prison, or 5 to 10 years where it causes death; the 2025 ordinance sets 1 to 10 years and allows closure of medical facilities that perform it.
Gaps: CEDAW experts in 2025 noted that the practice persists despite prohibition.
Source: digitallibrary.un.org
Child marriage and age of marriage
Ordinance No. 006/PR/2015 of 14 March 2015 prohibiting child marriage, ratified by Law No. 029/PR/2015 of 21 July 2015
Sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage for girls and boys, with 5 to 10 years in prison for violations. The 2025 ordinance also punishes forced or arranged marriage with 5 to 10 years in prison and loss of parental authority.
Gaps: Customary and religious marriages below 18 remain widespread; 61% of women aged 20 to 24 were married before 18.
Source: soawr.org
Family and personal status
No adopted Personal and Family Code; the 1958 French Civil Code still applies alongside customary and Islamic law. A draft Family Code has been submitted to the Council of Ministers.
Civil Code Article 213 names the husband as head of household and Article 215 lets him choose the family residence.
Source: digitallibrary.un.org
Inheritance and succession
1958 French Civil Code, Articles 745 and 767, alongside customary and Islamic law
Statutory law gives equal inheritance rights to sons and daughters and to spouses.
Gaps: Customary and religious rules that give women smaller shares apply in practice (OECD SIGI).
Source: webfs.oecd.org
Land and property
1958 French Civil Code, Articles 1421 and 1428
Married women may own property.
Gaps: The husband alone administers jointly owned property and can sell or mortgage it without the wife’s consent; CEDAW experts noted women own about 30% of land despite being over 60% of agricultural workers.
Source: webfs.oecd.org
Abortion and sexual and reproductive health
Law No. 006/PR/2002 on the Promotion of Reproductive Health, Article 14; Penal Code 2017
Abortion is permitted to save the woman’s life and to protect her health (Guttmacher, citing Article 14 of the 2002 law). The 2002 law also guarantees equal reproductive health rights without discrimination.
Source: guttmacher.org
Political participation and quotas
Ordinance No. 012/PR/2018 instituting parity, ratified by Law No. 022/PR/2018 of 25 November 2018; Electoral Code of February 2024
Requires a minimum 30% share of women in elected and appointed positions and on candidate lists.
Gaps: Women hold 33.5% of seats in the National Assembly elected in December 2024.
Source: digitallibrary.un.org
Labour and maternity
Law No. 038/PR/96 of 11 December 1996 on the Labour Code
OECD SIGI reports that the law provides paid maternity leave and equal pay for work of equal value.
Source: digitallibrary.un.org
Nationality
Constitution of 2023; Ordinance No. 33/PG-INT of 14 August 1962 on the Nationality Code
The 2023 Constitution recognises the equal right of women and men to confer their nationality on their children.
Gaps: The CEDAW Committee in 2025 found implementation weak because of low birth registration.
Source: citizenshiprightsafrica.org
Trafficking
Ordinance No. 006/PR/2018 of 30 March 2018 on combating trafficking in persons
Criminalises trafficking in persons and creates a National Commission to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
Source: digitallibrary.un.org
Online violence and cybercrime
Law No. 009/PR/2015 on cybersecurity and combating cybercrime; Law No. 007/PR/2015 on personal data protection
Defines cyber offences and gives the national security agency powers to compel disclosure of data.
Source: ritimo.org
Human rights defenders
No specific law
Chad has no specific law protecting human rights defenders.
Gaps: Activists and journalists face arrest, bans and in 2025 deprivation of nationality.
Source: lens.civicus.org
Same-sex relations
Law No. 001/PR/2017 on the Penal Code, Article 354
Criminalises consensual same-sex sexual activity, with up to 2 years in prison and fines.
Source: humandignitytrust.org
Access to justice and legal aid
Law No. 011/PR/2014 on the Judicial Code; Law No. 028/PR/2018 on the National Human Rights Commission
Created additional courts and justices of the peace and set up the National Human Rights Commission.
Gaps: No legal aid law identified; the CEDAW Committee urged free legal aid for survivors of violence.
Source: amnesty.org
Gender-based and domestic violence
Loi n° 001/PR/2017 du 8 mai 2017 portant Code pénal
Contains several provisions that punish gender-based violence, according to the government’s 2023 statement to the UN Commission on Population and Development.
Source: un.org
Child marriage and age of marriage
Loi n° 001/PR/2017 du 8 mai 2017 portant Code pénal (child marriage provisions)
Punishes child marriage, alongside the 2015 ordinance that set the legal age of marriage at 18.
Source: un.org
Female genital mutilation
Loi n° 001/PR/2017 du 8 mai 2017 portant Code pénal (FGM provisions)
Punishes female genital mutilation in addition to the 2002 reproductive health law.
Source: un.org
Women and girls with disabilities
Loi n° 007/PR/2007 portant protection des personnes handicapées
Defines categories of disability and provides State assistance for the schooling of pupils with disabilities and of parents with disabilities (article 13). The Penal Code also increases penalties for rape of persons made vulnerable by disability (article 350).
Gaps: No provisions address the education of girls with disabilities or their access to sexual and reproductive health care, and there is no guarantee of free legal aid for women with disabilities.
Source: adry.up.ac.za
Data protection
Loi n° 007/PR/2015 portant protection des données à caractère personnel
Sets the legal framework for the protection of personal data in Chad.
Source: arcep.td
Civic space
| CIVICUS Monitor rating | Repressed (score 31, CIVICUS Monitor 2025 findings) |
|---|---|
| NGO and association law | Ordinance No. 23 of 2018 on the regime of associations, which Amnesty International found imposes unlawful restrictions on freedom of association |
| Press and media law | Ordinance No. 025/PR/2018 on the written press and electronic media; the High Authority for Media and Broadcasting regulates media |
| Cybercrime law | Law No. 009/PR/2015 on cybersecurity and combating cybercrime |
| Public order and counter-terrorism | Ordinance No. 011/PR/2023 of 1 August 2023 governing public demonstrations |
| Notes | In 2025 authorities banned protests, dissolved youth groups and suspended an opposition coalition, suspended at least 19 radio stations, 24 newspapers and 7 online outlets, revoked the nationality of a blogger and a journalist, and sentenced the main opposition leader to 20 years in prison. |
Recent developments
- October 2025. Parliament adopted constitutional revisions creating seven-year presidential terms without limits.
- August 2025. The main opposition leader, a former Prime Minister, sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- 26 June 2025. CEDAW Committee reviewed Chad’s fifth periodic report, welcoming the 2023 Constitution and raising child marriage, FGM, birth registration and land rights.
- 21 January 2025. Ordinance on violence against women and girls issued, criminalising domestic violence and raising penalties for rape, harassment, forced marriage and FGM.
- 29 December 2024. Legislative, provincial and communal elections held; the new National Assembly has 33.5% women.
Reforms recommended
Reforms recommended by the African Commission, UN treaty bodies or national organisations, as reported in the sources below.
- Ratify the Maputo Protocol and the CEDAW Optional Protocol (signed 2004 and 2012).
- Adopt a Personal and Family Code free of discrimination, and repeal Civil Code provisions naming the husband as head of household and sole administrator of joint property.
- Criminalise marital rape and define rape on the basis of lack of consent.
- Ensure free legal aid, shelters and survivor services, and enforce the 2025 violence against women ordinance and the 2015 child marriage ban.
- Strengthen birth registration so that the equal right to transmit nationality works in practice.
Being verified. RFLD is checking the laws on the following topics against official texts and will add them to this page: harmful practices, girls’ education, social protection, 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. 7 of the 13 human rights and governance treaties below are ratified.
Other AU treaties (16)
Sources (28)
- data.ipu.org · women ranking
- soawr.org · chad
- girlsnotbrides.org · west and central africa
- wbl.worldbank.org · WBL2024 Economy Scores
- au.int · 37077 sl PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEO…
- un.org · CEDAW Ratification Table IV 8.en
- treaties.un.org · iv 8 b.en
- au.int · 36804 sl AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE…
- 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…
- ohchr.org · dialogue chad experts committee elimination discriminatio…
- webfs.oecd.org · country profile TCD Chad
- digitallibrary.un.org · CEDAW C TCD 5 EN
- guttmacher.org · developments laws induced abortion 1998 2007
- citizenshiprightsafrica.org · cedaw concluding observations chad 2025
- ritimo.org · Fiche pays securite numerique Tchad
- lens.civicus.org · chad constitutional manipulation consolidates authoritari…
- humandignitytrust.org · chad
- amnesty.org · report chad
- monitor.civicus.org · africa
- amnesty.org · en
- monitor.civicus.org · chad contested elections and civic space challenges in po…
- apanews.net · chad toughens fight against gender based violence
- loc.gov · chad revised constitution allows president to seek reelec…
- un.org · Chad statement, CPD56 (2023)
- adry.up.ac.za · African Disability Rights Yearbook: Chad country report 2019
- arcep.td · ARCEP Tchad: laws
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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.