UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 23) Senegal has introduced harsher penalties for all forms of violence against women, particularly female genital mutilation (Act No. 1999-05 of 29 January 1999). Awareness- raising campaigns on the consequences of excision have been run in the media and others have targeted religious and social leaders. Trends show a marked decrease in this practice with thousands of communities having publicly renounced it. Between 2009 and 2011, 4,452 out of 5,000 communities surveyed had abandoned excision as a result of the Community Capacity building Programme.

Para 24) In 2010, the Government commissioned a study to evaluate the implementation status of the Act of 1999 prohibiting excision. It highlighted the need for a new plan to hasten the end of female genital mutilation and generate awareness among the communities still practising it, with a view to totally eradicating it by 2015. Significant results have been achieved. Data from the Demographic and Health Survey and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey for 2010-2011 revealed a 25.7 per cent reduction in the national female genital mutilation prevalence rate. In 2012, a joint programme to combat gender-based violence and promote human rights was adopted.

Para 25) The second national action plan to eliminate excision (2012-2015) provided for the establishment of a national council, chaired by the Prime Minister, and a steering committee. Eleven regional committees, chaired by regional governors, were set up in the 12 affected regions. A human rights capacity-strengthening programme was designed to help them improve the effectiveness of their interventions. Similarly, women who perform excisions have been encouraged to retrain in other lines of business.

Para 26) The Government also encourages citizens to report cases of genital mutilation of girls. Article 32 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides that officials must inform the judicial authority if, during the performance of their duties, they become aware of criminal acts. Citizens and groups of individuals have the right to avail themselves of legal remedies to protect their rights and freedoms. In such cases, the courts rigorously apply the laws designed to eliminate all forms of violence against women.

Para 27) Legal advice centres use television programmes to inform the most vulnerable populations of their rights, while non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and women's associations use law shops to guide and assist women victims of violence with administrative, judicial, psychological, and social and health formalities, using various mechanisms and strategies.

Para 56) ... Senegal is focusing its efforts on communication with opinion leaders with a view to changing attitudes. The campaign has been successful. Professional excisers have been invited to turn to alternative income-generating activities in order to encourage them to abandon excision altogether. Moreover, 12 monitoring committees were set up in 2011 in areas of high prevalence and an empowerment programme for former excisers has been established.

Para 94) Senegal has drafted a new plan to eliminate excision 2012-2015 which must, by 2015, lead to its total elimination. Data from the Demographic and Health Survey and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2010-2011 has revealed that the national prevalence of the practice has declined to 25.7 per cent.

UN Compilation:
Para 29) CAT took note of the second national action plan to hasten the end of the practice of excision (2010-2015).

National Report:
Para 7) Since 2013, a number of legislative and regulatory measures have been taken, including: … • Act No. 2015-15 of 16 July 2015 authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify International Labour Organization Convention No. 183 on maternity protection; … • Decree No. 2017-313 of 15 February 2017 on the establishment of gender units in the general secretariats of the ministries.
National Parity Observatory:
Para 17) The Observatory is an important mechanism for the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Over the period from 2013 to 2015, its budget grew by 50 million CFA francs, from 75 million to 125 million CFA francs. Para 18) In terms of its legal status, the Observatory is an independent administrative authority, in accordance with Decree No. 2011-819 of 16 May 2011. Its senior managers have never encountered any obstacles or, in the exercise of their functions, received instructions from any authority.
Para 49) Senegal has taken significant steps in the implementation of its gender policy, including: • Circular issued by the Office of the Prime Minister in 2013 inviting ministries to take on board the issue of gender, which has facilitated the establishment of 22 gender units; • Decree No. 2017-313 of 15 February 2017 on the establishment of gender units in the general secretariats of the ministries; • Adoption of the second national strategy for gender equality and equity for the period 2016–2026, as outlined in the Emerging Senegal Plan; • Training sessions for women parliamentarians and women entered as candidates on electoral rolls in advocacy and negotiation skills. These training measures have focused on such key concepts as gender-responsive planning and budgeting, leadership, advocacy and lobbying, and raising awareness of the challenges of gender mainstreaming in public policies; • The establishment in 2016 of a committee for the review of laws and regulations that discriminate against women, by order of the Minister of Justice. The report on the campaign to permit safe abortion and to incorporate in law the definition of discrimination against women is now being widely disseminated.
Para 50) The 2017 parliamentary elections boosted the number of women in Parliament, although, in relative terms, their proportion has decreased. Thus, 69 women were elected in 2017, compared to 64 in 2012. The Economic, Social and Environmental Council, which is chaired by a woman, has 23 women among its 120 members, or 19.2 per cent of the total. Its bureau comprises six women and six men.
Para 51) Following the local elections of June 2014, women’s representation in local government tripled, rising from 15.9 per cent in 2009 to 47.2 per cent in 2014, with 13,103 women elected to local assemblies out of a total of 27,760 local councillors.
Para 144) Efforts to give effect to women’s rights have focused on women’s health and empowerment, the school enrolment of girls and the combating of gender-based violence.
Para 146) The establishment of gender units in ministries has made it possible to foster a culture of women’s rights within the Administration, although impediments are still posed by entrenched cultural, religious and economic attitudes.
Para 162) The promotion and protection of human rights have always formed an integral part of the Government’s public policies. Under the third priority of the Emerging Senegal Plan, on governance, institutions and security, actions to promote … equity and gender equality are articulated in strategic guidelines.

UN Compilation:
Para 14) The Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice commended Senegal on the efforts it had made to strengthen its legal framework for the promotion and protection of women’s rights and gender equality. Nonetheless, the Working Group noted that the Family Code remained one of the chief sources of discrimination against women in Senegal and contained many discriminatory provisions.
Para 16) CEDAW noted that the Constitution and ordinary legislation lacked an explicit definition of discrimination covering direct and indirect discrimination and discrimination in the public and private spheres, as well as provisions guaranteeing equal rights of women and men.
Para 18) The country team noted that the legislation on parity had enabled a considerable number of women to enter the parliament, but that, as the proportion of women in decision-making bodies remained very low, such legislation should also be applied to appointed positions. The team also pointed out discriminatory provisions that remained in the national legislation, including in connection with paternal and marital authority, which interfered with women’s enjoyment of other rights.
Para 19) The country team also noted that the 2013 Nationality Act had put an end to the discrimination women had faced in passing their nationality to a foreign spouse or to their children. However, the country team drew attention to continued discrimination faced by children born or found on Senegalese territory in acquiring nationality.
Para 43) CEDAW was concerned about the persistent gender wage gap and occupational segregation of women and men; the high rate of unemployment among women and their concentration in the informal sector; and the absence of legal provisions explicitly criminalizing sexual harassment in the workplace.
Para 57) CEDAW was concerned at the limited capacity and independence of the National Observatory for Parity.
Para 59) [CEDAW] was concerned about the long delays in revising the discriminatory provisions contained in national law, particularly those of the Family Code, including provisions relating to the different minimum age of marriage for girls and boys, polygamy, discrimination in the consequences of breach of marriage and discrimination against Muslim women regarding inheritance.
Para 60) CEDAW was concerned at the high number of unregistered marriages, recommending protecting the rights of women in such marriages.
Para 63) The Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice was concerned that voluntary termination of pregnancy was prohibited under both the Criminal Code and Act No. 2005-18 on Reproductive Health and carried a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment.
Para 63) [The Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law] noted that the incorporation into domestic law and enforcement of the instruments to which it was a party remained inadequate and the new constitution of 2001 that promoted gender equality had yet to be implemented in practice.
Para 65) CEDAW was concerned about the lack of criminalization of marriages with a child between 13 and 18 years of age.
Para 66) CEDAW remained concerned about the persistence of domestic violence …
Para 67) Concerned about the persisting barriers faced by women in effectively gaining access to justice, …
Para 68) [CEDAW] remained concerned about rural women’s limited access to land, owing to legal and sociocultural barriers regarding their right to inheritance, health care, education, public transportation, food, water and sanitation, income-generating opportunities and social protection.
Para 69) The country team noted the national action plan to eliminate gender-based violence and promote human rights, adopted in 2017, which gave form to the vision of theme 3, on governance, peace and security, of the Emerging Senegal Plan.

National Report:
Para 101) Gender parity at the primary education level has been achieved through a policy of promoting the education of girls, which is pursued through the Coordinating Committee for Action on Girls’ Education (CCIEF). The ratio is currently in favour of girls in primary schools.
Para 102) Under the second phase of the Project to Support the Education of Girls (PAEF), which is active in 149 educational facilities, including 27 lower secondary schools (collèges d’enseigement moyen) and upper secondary schools (lycées) across the country, the following actions have been taken: • Multiple awareness-raising campaigns on the easing of domestic work, gender-based violence and early marriages and pregnancies, through the implementation of a national and community-level communication plan; • Celebration every year of the National Day for the Education of Girls; • Establishment in June 2016 of a network of heads of private schools to support the actions of the Ministry of Education to promote girls’ education; • Provision of support to 122 school mothers’ associations, in the amount of 300,000 CFA francs per association, for the development of income-generating activities, with the transfer of 50 per cent of the profits to the account of the school management committee, to care for girls in difficulty; • Allocation of kits, educational materials and sanitary pads; • Organization of female leadership camps for women teachers with additional training in such areas as communication, education and the law, information and communication technology in education, and others; • Support for the organization of the “Miss Mathematics” and “Miss Science” competitions; • Preparation of a guide for the training of trainers in gender and a teacher’s manual on gender mainstreaming in teacher training benchmarks; • Gender training for the compilers of curriculum support materials and for mentoring and monitoring bodies; • Preparation of a training manual on gender-based violence in schools and conduct of a study on social and anthropological factors that impede girls’ access to education; • Adaptation of school construction standards to the specific needs of girls, including in the area of hygiene; • Provision of uniforms to all girls and boys in 122 schools sponsored by the support programme for female education and women’s empowerment for inclusive local development (PAEF-Plus) — 35,000 uniforms provided in 2015; • Allocation of bursaries to 971 school mothers’ associations in 2015 and 4,000 school mothers’ associations in 2016, at a rate of 30,000 CFA francs per schoolgirl at primary level and 50,000 CFA francs per schoolgirl at lower secondary level; • Distribution of awards to the top-achieving girls and organization of coping courses for girls in difficulty; • Organization of science summer camps; • Training of persons in positions of responsibility to ensure an effective response to issues of violence in schools.
Para 103) These efforts have had the following significant impacts: • The upswing in the gross enrolment rate demonstrates the improvement in primary schooling, where the proportion of girls has reached a high point of 93.86 per cent, compared to 81.10 per cent for boys; • The gender parity index is 1.16 in favour of girls; their dropout rate is 9.60 per cent, compared to 11.02 per cent for boys; and the transition rate from CM2 — the last year of primary school — to grade 6 — the first year of secondary school — is 65.38 per cent among girls.
Para 104) At the preschool level, the gross pre-primary enrolment rate was 17.80 per cent in 2016. It measured 19.20 per cent for girls, compared to 16.50 per cent for boys.

UN Compilation:
Para 56) The country team noted that equal numbers of girls and boys were attending and staying in school at the primary level, but that keeping girls in school at the secondary level and ensuring they could access vocational training remained a challenge.