DƆNÙESÈ Data Center / Women’s Rights Laws by Country / Togo
West Africa · Country law profile
Togo: women’s rights and civic space laws
At a glance
| Capital | Lomé |
|---|
Regional and international treaties
| Treaty | Status | Reservations or notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maputo Protocol | signed 30/12/2003; ratified 12/10/2005; deposited 26/10/2005 | |
| CEDAW | accession 26/09/1983 | |
| CEDAW Optional Protocol | not a party | |
| African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child | signed 27/02/1992; ratified 05/05/1998; deposited 18/05/1998 | |
| ICCPR | accession 24/05/1984 | |
| Kampala Convention | signed 24/12/2009; ratified 08/07/2011; deposited 09/08/2011 | |
| AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo) | signed 02/04/2019; ratified 30/09/2021; deposited 19/10/2021 | |
| ILO C190 Violence and Harassment Convention | not ratified |
National laws
Rape and sexual offences
Loi n° 2015-010 du 24 novembre 2015 portant nouveau Code pénal
Criminalises rape, and since 2015 marital rape has been an offence carrying the same penalties as rape.
Source: ohchr.org
Sexual harassment
Loi n° 2007-005 du 10 janvier 2007 sur la santé de la reproduction, article 11
Guarantees every person protection against sexual harassment as part of the right to freedom and safety in reproductive health. It also guarantees protection against rape and forced marriage.
Source: scorecard.prb.org
Female genital mutilation
Loi n° 2015-010 du 24 novembre 2015 portant nouveau Code pénal, articles 217 à 222
Punishes female genital mutilation. The offence was first created by Loi n° 98-016 of 17 November 1998, whose provisions were taken into the 2015 Penal Code.
Source: upr-info.org
Child marriage and age of marriage
Loi n° 2007-017 du 6 juillet 2007 portant Code de l’enfant, article 267
Prohibits child marriage and sets the age of marriage at 18.
Gaps: Civil society reports that other provisions on the marriage of minors are confusing.
Source: upr-info.org
Family and personal status
Loi n° 2012-014 du 6 juillet 2012 portant Code des personnes et de la famille, modifiée par la loi n° 2014-019 du 17 novembre 2014
Makes monogamy the rule and allows polygamy only as an option chosen by the spouses (article 42).
Gaps: The code imposes a 300-day waiting period before a woman can remarry, which the government said in 2021 was under review.
Source: ohchr.org
Land and property
Loi n° 2018-005 du 14 juin 2018 portant Code foncier et domanial
Guarantees women equal access to land ownership (articles 8, 13, 14 and 483).
Source: togoactualite.com
Abortion and sexual and reproductive health
Loi n° 2007-005 du 10 janvier 2007 sur la santé de la reproduction, article 42
Allows termination of pregnancy where continuing it endangers the woman’s life and health, or at her request where the pregnancy results from rape or incest. A serious condition of the fetus is a further ground.
Source: scorecard.prb.org
Labour and maternity
Loi n° 2021-012 du 18 juin 2021 portant Code du travail
Togo’s current Labour Code, adopted in June 2021, governs employment relations.
Source: nyulawglobal.org
Social protection
Loi n° 2011-006 du 21 février 2011 portant Code de sécurité sociale
Sets the social security framework for workers.
Source: nyulawglobal.org
Social protection
Loi n° 2021-022 du 18 octobre 2021 instituant l’assurance maladie universelle
Creates universal health insurance (AMU).
Source: nyulawglobal.org
Older persons
Loi n° 91-11 du 23 mai 1991 portant régime des pensions civiles et militaires
Governs retirement pensions for civil servants and military personnel.
Source: upr-info.org
Nationality
Ordonnance n° 78-34 du 7 septembre 1978 portant Code de la nationalité, modifiée par l’ordonnance n° 80-27 du 8 octobre 1980
Governs the acquisition and transmission of Togolese nationality.
Source: nyulawglobal.org
Access to justice and legal aid
Loi du 24 mai 2013 relative à l’aide juridictionnelle
Establishes the legal aid scheme (aide juridictionnelle) for people seeking access to the courts.
Source: togoactualite.com
Online violence and cybercrime
Loi n° 2018-026 du 7 décembre 2018 sur la cybersécurité et la lutte contre la cybercriminalité
Sets the national framework for cybersecurity and defines cybercrime offences, under the authority of the security ministry working with the digital economy ministry.
Source: labase-lextenso.fr
Data protection
Loi n° 2019-014 du 29 octobre 2019 relative à la protection des données à caractère personnel
Protects personal data and is enforced by the Instance de protection des données à caractère personnel (IPDCP), organised by Decree n° 2020-111/PR.
Source: ipdcp.tg
Women and girls with disabilities
Loi n° 2004-005 relative à la protection sociale des personnes handicapées
Defines persons with disabilities and provides for their social protection, including a right to education (article 8).
Source: upr-info.org
Human rights defenders
Loi n° 2011-010 du 16 mai 2011 fixant les conditions d’exercice de la liberté de réunion et de manifestation pacifiques publiques, modifiée en 2019
Regulates public meetings and peaceful demonstrations.
Gaps: The government acknowledged before the UN Human Rights Committee in 2021 that restrictions added in 2019 were not fully in line with the Covenant.
Source: ohchr.org
Human rights defenders
Associations regime based on the French law of 1 July 1901
Associations are registered under a regime based on the French 1901 law and the Constitution, and more than 15,000 associations were registered in 2021.
Source: ohchr.org
Same-sex relations
Loi n° 2015-010 du 24 novembre 2015 portant nouveau Code pénal, articles 392 et 393
Criminalises ‘acts against nature’, which include sexual relations between persons of the same sex.
Source: upr-info.org
Being verified. RFLD is checking the laws on the following topics against official texts and will add them to this page: gender-based and domestic violence, harmful practices, inheritance and succession, girls’ education, political participation and quotas, trafficking. 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 (13)
- au.int · 37077 sl PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEO…
- 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 · OHCHR summary of Human Rights Committee review of Togo, July 2021
- scorecard.prb.org · Text of Law No. 2007-005 on reproductive health
- upr-info.org · Joint civil society UPR submission on Togo, June 2021
- togoactualite.com · Government report to the UN Human Rights Committee, 2021
- nyulawglobal.org · GlobaLex research guide on the Togolese legal system, 2025
- labase-lextenso.fr · L’essentiel Droits africains des affaires: Togo cybercrime law
- ipdcp.tg · IPDCP: legal framework
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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.