DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Seychelles

East Africa · Country law profile

Seychelles: women’s rights and civic space laws

The 1993 Constitution of Seychelles guarantees equal protection of the law without discrimination (Article 27) and special protection for working mothers (Article 30). Abortion is permitted on health, foetal anomaly, rape, incest and defilement grounds under the Termination of Pregnancy Act 1994, and a Domestic Violence Act (Act 21 of 2020) was adopted in 2020. Women held 26.5% of National Assembly seats after the 2025 elections, with no legislated quota, and in October 2025 a woman became Speaker of the Assembly for the first time. Seychelles acceded to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime on 17 September 2026 but has not signed the AU Malabo Convention or ILO Convention 190.

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	Victoria

Key indicators

26.5% (9 of 34)Women in National Assembly (2026)

69.58World Bank WBL 2026 legal frameworks score (2026)

29.38World Bank WBL 2026 supportive frameworks score (2026)

58.86World Bank WBL 2026 enforcement perceptions score (2026)

Regional and international treaties

Treaty	Status	Reservations or notes
Maputo Protocol	signed 24 Jan 2006 / ratified 9 Mar 2006 / deposited 25 Apr 2006	None listed
CEDAW	accession 5 May 1992
CEDAW Optional Protocol	signed 22 Jul 2002 / ratified 1 Mar 2011
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child	ratified 13 Feb 1992 / deposited 27 Feb 1992
ICCPR	accession 5 May 1992
Kampala Convention	Not signed or ratified (AU status list updated 8 Jul 2024)
AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo)	Not signed or ratified (AU status list updated 2 Feb 2026)
Budapest Convention on Cybercrime	Invited to accede 18 Jun 2025 / acceded 17 Sep 2026 / enters into force for Seychelles 1 Jan 2027

Constitution

Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles, 21 June 1993
Equality guarantees	Article 27(1): right to equal protection of the law without discrimination on any ground. Article 30: working mothers are afforded special protection with regard to paid leave and working conditions during pregnancy and after childbirth. Chapter III contains the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms.
Quotas or parity	None. No electoral quota or reserved seats for women.

National laws

Gender-based and domestic violence

Domestic Violence Act, Act 21 of 2020

Prohibits domestic violence and provides for victim protection and penalties.

Source: soawr.org

Family and personal status

Civil Code Amendment Act, 2020

Provides equal rights for children in inheritance and parental responsibilities and addresses division of property in married and unmarried partnerships.

Source: soawr.org

Inheritance and succession

Civil Code Amendment Act, 2020

Provides equal inheritance rights for children.

Source: soawr.org

Abortion and sexual and reproductive health

Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1994

Permits termination to safeguard the woman’s health or where there is risk of foetal abnormality (section 3), and in cases of rape, incest or defilement (section 4). Conscientious objection is allowed except where needed to save the woman’s life (section 7).

Source: maputoprotocol.up.ac.za

Political participation and quotas

No quota law

Women held 26.5% of National Assembly seats after the 2025 elections; in October 2025 a woman became Speaker for the first time.

Gaps: No electoral quota or reserved seats.

Source: data.ipu.org

Labour and maternity

Constitution Article 30; Employment (Conditions of Employment of Domestic Workers) Regulations, 2019

The Constitution protects working mothers’ paid leave; the 2019 regulations set working conditions, annual leave and maternity and paternity benefits for domestic workers.

Source: maputoprotocol.up.ac.za, soawr.org

Access to justice and legal aid

Legal Aid Act, 1986

Provides legal aid in criminal proceedings and, subject to a means test, in civil proceedings, funded through a Legal Aid Fund.

Source: maputoprotocol.up.ac.za

Child marriage and age of marriage

Civil Status Act, 1980

Set the minimum age of marriage at 15 for girls and 18 for boys, with earlier marriage possible in grave cases with ministerial consent.

Gaps: The CEDAW Committee and the Committee on the Rights of the Child asked for an equal minimum age of 18, which the Civil Code bill introduced in 2019 was designed to establish.

Source: girlsnotbrides.org

Sexual harassment

No specific legislation on sexual harassment in employment

The World Bank found no legal provision on sexual harassment at work and no civil or criminal remedy for it.

Gaps: Workers have no statutory route to redress for workplace sexual harassment.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Labour and maternity

Employment Act, Part VI section 46A and Part VIII section 57(3)

Prohibits gender discrimination in employment and protects pregnant workers against dismissal.

Gaps: No law mandates equal remuneration for work of equal value.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Social protection

Social Security (Retirement Age) Regulations, 2022, and Pension Fund Act

Set the same retirement age for women and men.

Gaps: Periods of absence for childcare are not credited towards pension benefits.

Source: wbl.worldbank.org

Trafficking

Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2014

Criminalises sex and labour trafficking of adults and children, with up to 14 years in prison, rising to 25 years where the victim is a child.

Gaps: Victims lack full protection against prosecution for unlawful acts committed as a result of being trafficked.

Source: refworld.org

Data protection

Data Protection Act, 2023 (Act 24 of 2023)

Sets rules for the processing of personal data, with an 18-month transition period from December 2023.

Source: gazette.sc

Women and girls with disabilities

National Council for Disabled Persons Act (Act 3 of 1994)

Creates the National Council for Disabled Persons. Article 36 of the Constitution protects persons with disabilities.

Gaps: No comprehensive law on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Source: seylii.org

Older persons

No specific law on older persons

Article 36 of the Constitution gives the aged a right to special protection.

Gaps: No law on the rights of older persons.

Source: afronomicslaw.org

Rape and sexual offences

Penal Code (Cap. 158), section 130

Sexual assault is punished by up to 20 years in prison; sections 135 and 136 cover offences against children under 15.

Gaps: The Penal Code has no separate offence of rape.

Source: law.cornell.edu

Female genital mutilation

No specific law on female genital mutilation

Neither the CEDAW Committee’s 2013 concluding observations nor the 2022 follow-up report mention FGM.

Source: hrlibrary.umn.edu

Land and property

Civil Code of Seychelles Act, 2020 (Act 1 of 2021)

Gives everyone civil rights (article 8) and shares property equally when a marriage or a stable union of at least seven years ends (article 259).

Source: seylii.org

Nationality

Citizenship Act (Act 18 of 1994), as amended by Act 11 of 2013

Governs citizenship, read with articles 7 to 10 of the Constitution.

Source: citizenshiprightsafrica.org

Online violence and cybercrime

Cybercrimes and other Related Crimes Act, 2021 (Act 59 of 2021)

Covers cyber harassment (s. 14), cyberstalking (s. 15), child sexual abuse material (s. 17) and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images (s. 18).

Source: seylii.org

Recent developments

17 September 2026. Seychelles acceded to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, which enters into force for it on 1 January 2027.
28 October 2025. First woman elected Speaker of the National Assembly.
18 June 2025. Council of Europe invited Seychelles to accede to the Budapest Convention.
2020. Domestic Violence Act (Act 21 of 2020) and Civil Code Amendment Act adopted.

Reforms recommended

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

Ratify ILO Convention 190 and the AU Malabo Convention.

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, 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. 7 of the 13 human rights and governance treaties below are ratified.

AU treaty	Status	AU list dated
Maputo Protocol (rights of women)	Ratified 09/03/2006	19/09/2023
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights	Ratified 13/04/1992	15/06/2017
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child	Ratified 13/02/1992	14/02/2023
Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights	Signed 1998, not ratified	14/02/2023
African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance	Ratified 12/08/2016	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 11/01/2011	19/09/2023
OAU Refugee Convention	Ratified 11/09/1980	16/05/2019
AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption	Ratified 01/06/2008	14/02/2023
AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo)	Not signed	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	Ratified 28/11/2013	27/04/2022
Protocol to the OAU Convention on Terrorism	Not signed	15/06/2017
OAU Convention on Mercenarism	Ratified 15/10/1979	15/06/2017
Charter on Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development	Ratified 10/10/2019	25/03/2022
Charter on Public Service and Administration	Not signed	08/07/2024
African Charter on Statistics	Not signed	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	Not signed	19/09/2023
Constitution of the Association of African Trade Promotion Organizations	Not signed	16/05/2019

Sources (18)

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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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