DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Guinea-Bissau

West Africa · Country law profile

Guinea-Bissau: women’s rights and civic space laws

Guinea-Bissau has been under military rule since 26 November 2025, when officers suspended the electoral process three days after presidential and legislative elections and installed a general as transitional president. A 66-member National Transition Council replaced the parliament on 12 December 2025 and approved a new constitution in January 2026, and general elections were announced for 6 December 2026. The Parity Law requires 36 per cent women on candidate lists for elective office, though the appointed transition council reserves only three seats for women. Girls and boys can marry at 16 with parental consent, and 26 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 were married before 18.

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	Bissau
Legal system	Civil law system of Portuguese inspiration, alongside customary law
Official languages	Portuguese

Key indicators

No data (2026)Women in the appointed transition council

18, or 16 with parental consentMinimum legal age of marriage

26% (8% before 15)Women aged 20 to 24 married before 18 (2019)

48.75World Bank WBL 2026 legal frameworks score (2026)

Regional and international treaties

Treaty	Status	Reservations or notes
Maputo Protocol	signed 08/03/2005 / ratified 19/06/2008 / deposited 14/10/2008	None recorded on AU status list
CEDAW	signed 17/07/1980 / ratified 23/08/1985	None recorded
CEDAW Optional Protocol	signed 12/09/2000 / ratified 05/08/2009	None recorded
ILO C190 Violence and Harassment Convention	Not ratified (as of May 2026)
ILO C100 Equal Remuneration Convention	ratified 21/02/1977
ILO C111 Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention	ratified 21/02/1977
ICCPR	signed 12/09/2000 / ratified 01/11/2010
Kampala Convention	ratified 23/12/2011 / deposited 04/01/2012
AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo)	signed 31/01/2015 / not ratified
Budapest Convention on Cybercrime	Not a party

Constitution

Constitution	Constitution of 1984 (as revised) suspended after the 26 November 2025 coup; a transitional charter was published on 8 December 2025 and the National Transition Council approved a new constitution in January 2026
Quotas or parity	The Parity Law requires 36 per cent women on lists of candidates for elective office. The appointed National Transition Council reserves 3 of its seats for women, 2 for youth and 2 for persons with disabilities.

National laws

Gender-based and domestic violence

Lei n.º 6/2014, de 4 de fevereiro (Lei de Violência Doméstica)

Criminalises domestic violence in its physical, sexual, psychological and economic forms, with prison terms of up to 12 years for sexual violence, and sets out victims’ status and rights.

Gaps: Women’s organisations reported to the 2025 UPR that the law still lacks implementing regulations for its effective application.

Source: documents1.worldbank.org

Rape and sexual offences

Decreto-Lei n.º 4/93, de 13 de outubro (Código Penal), artigos 133.º e 134.º

Article 133 punishes rape with 3 to 12 years of imprisonment and article 134 punishes sexual abuse of girls aged 12 to 16 with 2 to 8 years.

Source: documents1.worldbank.org

Sexual harassment

No specific sexual harassment law

The World Bank found no legislation on sexual harassment in employment and no criminal penalties or civil remedies for it.

Gaps: Women have no legal remedy for sexual harassment at work.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Female genital mutilation

Lei n.º 14/2011, de 6 de julho (prevention and suppression of female genital mutilation)

Prohibits FGM in all its forms, with 2 to 6 years of imprisonment and 3 to 9 years when the victim is a minor. It sets penalties for accomplices and for parents who fail to prevent it. Cross-border FGM is also punished. Health professionals have a duty to report.

Gaps: Medicalised FGM is not expressly named in the text.

Source: fgmcri.org

Child marriage and age of marriage

Lei n.º 11/2010, de 17 de setembro (Saúde Reprodutiva e Planeamento Familiar), artigo 5.º

Raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 for both women and men, from 14 for girls and 16 for boys.

Gaps: UNDP noted that in practice no sanctions are applied to those who force minors to marry.

Source: undp.org

Harmful practices

Lei n.º 12/2011, de 6 de julho (prevention and combating of human trafficking), artigo 3.º

Lists forced marriage as a means of exploitation covered by the trafficking offence.

Source: antislaverylaw.ac.uk

Family and personal status

Código Civil, artigos 1672.º, 1674.º e 1605.º

The Civil Code governs marriage and divorce; divorce is open to women on the same terms as men.

Gaps: The World Bank found that a married woman cannot choose her residence or be head of household on the same terms as a man and that remarriage rules differ for women.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Family and personal status

Lei n.º 3/76, de 3 de maio (uniões de facto)

Recognises stable de facto unions between a man and a woman and grants marital property and succession rights to partners.

Source: documents1.worldbank.org

Inheritance and succession

Código Civil, artigos 2133.º, 2139.º e 2147.º

Sons and daughters, and surviving wives and husbands, have equal rights to inherit under the Civil Code.

Gaps: UNDP noted that customary law continues to be applied in family matters to the detriment of statutory law.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Land and property

Código Civil, artigos 1678.º e 1717.º a 1731.º

The Civil Code regulates marital property and recognises non-monetary contributions to the household when property is divided.

Gaps: Married women do not have the same rights as men to own and administer immovable property.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Land and property

Land Act No. 5/98 (Lei da Terra)

The national land law governing land tenure and use rights in Guinea-Bissau.

Source: fao.org

Abortion and sexual and reproductive health

Lei n.º 11/2010, de 17 de setembro (Saúde Reprodutiva e Planeamento Familiar)

Recognises the right of couples to decide freely on the number of children and the right to information on contraception. It also prohibits sexual violence.

Source: documents1.worldbank.org

Political participation and quotas

Lei n.º 4/2018, de 3 de dezembro (Lei da Paridade)

Requires at least 36% women on electoral candidate lists and sets sanctions for non-compliance.

Gaps: Women’s organisations called in 2025 for the parity law to be regulated and effectively implemented.

Source: upr-info.org

Labour and maternity

Law No. 7 of 2022 (Labour Code), artigos 48.º, 359.º e 360.º

Prohibits discrimination in employment based on gender and provides paid maternity and paternity leave.

Gaps: Maternity leave is shorter than 14 weeks, and there is no equal pay provision. There is also no protection against dismissal of pregnant workers.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Social protection

Decree-Law No. 5/86, artigo 66.º

Sets the same age for men and women to retire with full pension benefits.

Gaps: Periods of absence for childcare are not counted toward pension benefits.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Trafficking

Lei n.º 12/2011, de 6 de julho (prevention and combating of human trafficking)

Criminalises trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced labour, with 3 to 15 years of imprisonment. Trafficking for servitude is also covered. It provides special protection for pregnant women and victims with disabilities.

Source: documents1.worldbank.org

Access to justice and legal aid

Lei n.º 12/2011, de 6 de julho, artigo 21.º

Gives trafficking victims the right to medical and psychological assistance. They also have the right to legal assistance.

Gaps: UNDP noted low numbers of complaints and trials for gender-based violence despite protective laws.

Source: documents1.worldbank.org

Civic space

Notes	The military suspended the electoral process on 26 November 2025, imposed a curfew and closed borders. On 4 December 2025 it dissolved the Superior Council of the Judiciary and appointed a new public prosecutor with expanded powers. Opposition figures were detained, and six were released on 23 December 2025. In September 2025 the Supreme Court barred three radio stations from covering a press conference.

Notes

The military suspended the electoral process on 26 November 2025, imposed a curfew and closed borders. On 4 December 2025 it dissolved the Superior Council of the Judiciary and appointed a new public prosecutor with expanded powers. Opposition figures were detained, and six were released on 23 December 2025. In September 2025 the Supreme Court barred three radio stations from covering a press conference.

Recent developments

January 2026. National Transition Council approved a new constitution; general elections announced for 6 December 2026.
14 December 2025. ECOWAS rejected the transition plan and warned of targeted sanctions.
12 December 2025. 66-member National Transition Council took office in place of the parliament.
4 December 2025. Junta dissolved the Superior Council of the Judiciary; a transitional charter set a one-year transition.
26 November 2025. Military High Command seized power and suspended the electoral process.
23 November 2025. Presidential and legislative elections held; results never announced.

Reforms recommended

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

Set 18 as the minimum age of marriage for girls and boys without parental-consent exceptions, in line with Article 6 of the Maputo Protocol (Girls Not Brides).
Adopt a national strategy or action plan to end child marriage (Girls Not Brides).
Restore the Superior Council of the Judiciary and judicial independence (International IDEA, December 2025).
Hold the general elections announced for 6 December 2026 and apply the 36 per cent Parity Law quota to candidate lists.

Being verified. RFLD is checking the laws on the following topics against official texts and will add them to this page: girls’ education, nationality, online violence and cybercrime, data protection, older persons, women and girls with disabilities, human rights defenders, 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. 8 of the 13 human rights and governance treaties below are ratified.

AU treaty	Status	AU list dated
Maputo Protocol (rights of women)	Ratified 19/06/2008	19/09/2023
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights	Ratified 04/12/1985	15/06/2017
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child	Ratified 19/06/2008	14/02/2023
Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights	Ratified 14/10/2021	14/02/2023
African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance	Ratified 23/12/2011	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 31/07/2008	19/09/2023
OAU Refugee Convention	Ratified 27/06/1989	16/05/2019
AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption	Ratified 23/12/2011	14/02/2023
AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo)	Signed 2015, not ratified	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	Signed 2012, not ratified	18/06/2020
Protocol on Amendments to the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights (Malabo Protocol)	Signed 2015, not ratified	22/05/2026
Protocol of the Court of Justice of the African Union	Signed 2005, not ratified	18/06/2020
Protocol on the Peace and Security Council	Ratified 23/12/2011	27/04/2022
Protocol to the OAU Convention on Terrorism	Ratified 22/01/2015	15/06/2017
OAU Convention on Mercenarism	Ratified 22/01/2015	15/06/2017
Charter on Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development	Signed 2015, not ratified	25/03/2022
Charter on Public Service and Administration	Signed 2012, not ratified	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	Signed 2012, not ratified	25/03/2022
Phyto-sanitary Convention for Africa	Not signed	15/06/2017
Convention establishing the African Centre for Fertilizer Development	Signed 2015, not ratified	19/09/2023
Constitution of the Association of African Trade Promotion Organizations	Signed 2012, not ratified	16/05/2019

Sources (25)

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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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