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West Africa

Countries:
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cote d'Ivoire
Liberia
Mali
Niger

Benin

Social Watch’s Gender Equity Index (GEI) [1]

In 2009,[2] Benin had an overall value of 42 – one of the lowest scores of any of the countries included in the GEI. Benin scored notably poorly in the area of education, as compared to other countries.
In 2009, Benin ranked a poor 154 out of 157 countries.
This reveals little change since 2008 and 2007, when Benin had a value of 41.

Gender Equity Index Indicators

2009

Education

Literacy gap between men and women; male and female enrolment rates in primary, secondary and tertiary education

53.9

Economic activity

% of women & men in paid jobs, excluding agriculture; income ratio of men to women

54.7

Empowerment

% of women in professional, technical, managerial and administrative jobs; number of seats women have in parliament, and in decision-making ministerial posts

17.8

GEI value

Source: Social Watch http://www.socialwatch.org/node/11760

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 [3]

Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women

Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015

Indicators: Ü Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education

Ü Ratio of literate women to men, 15-24 years old

Ü Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector

Ü Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

MDG 3 Indicators	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Gender parity index in primary level enrolment	0.69	0.71	0.73	0.74	0.77	0.80	0.83	---	0.87	---	---
Gender parity index in secondary level enrolment	0.46	0.48	0.48	0.47	0.48	0.57	---	---	---	---	---
Gender parity index in tertiary level enrolment	0.25	0.25	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Share of Women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector (%)	---	---	24.3	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Seats held by women in national parliament (%)	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	7.2	7.2	7.2	7.2	10.8	10.8	10.8

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, Millennium Development Goals Indicators website: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx. Data last updated on 6 February 2011. [4]

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) [5]

· Benin ratified the Convention in March 1992 without reservations.

· It ratified the Optional Protocol in December 2004.

· The most recent CEDAW report (the combined initial, second and third periodic reports) was examined in 2005. [6]

· The next report (the combined fourth and fifth report) was due to be submitted in April 2009. [7]

CEDAW Country Report	Key Improvements*	Key Challenges*
Education	---	The poor educational infrastructure and insufficient number of schools and teachers create particular obstacles for girls’ education. Girls’ enrolment in schools is low due to the preference towards educating boys, as well as pregnancy and early and forced marriage. Illiteracy among women and girls is extremely high, at 81% between the ages of 15 & 49.
Economic activity	---	There remains an absence of policies, programmes and legislation to address the economic exploitation and ill-treatment of girls employed as domestic servants.
Empowerment	Recent legislative reforms have included the Personal and Family Code which, for example, established equal inheritance rights for children regardless of gender and abolished polygamy, as well as the adoption of a law prohibiting female genital mutilation.	There is a low level of representation of women in political life and a lack of measures to address this. Violence against women is seen by state representatives as a private matter. Women are reluctant to report incidences of violence against them and there is a paucity of statistics on VAW.

* These lists are exemplary; information about other issues relevant for the SDC-country portfolio can be downloaded from the CEDAW-site, according to the needs of the respective user.

Download this information on a factsheet: Factsheet_Benin.pdf

[2] 2009 is the latest year for which GEI figures are available.
[3] The MDGs are a set of eight goals, with 18 targets to be measured by 48 quantifiable social, economic and environmental indicators – to be achieved by 2015, reflecting the world’s main development challenges. Goal 3 focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The MDGs have been viewed by some gender advocates as a distraction, and by others as a strategic entry point for promoting gender equality.
[4] Blank boxes in the MDG chart indicate an absence of statistics on the UNSD website.

[5] Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.

[6] The report was considered by the CEDAW Committee at its 33^rd session in July 2005. It is available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/33sess.htm.
[7] As of February 2011, this report has not been submitted yet: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/CEDAW.C.2011.48.2.pdf

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Burkina Faso

Social Watch’s Gender Equity Index (GEI) [1]

In 2009, [2] Burkina Faso had a value of 54.
Burkina Faso ranked 107 out of 157 countries.
This reveals little change since 2008 when Burkina Faso had a value of 52, and 2007, when it was 50.

Gender Equity Index Indicators

2009

Education

Literacy gap between men and women; male and female enrolment rates in primary, secondary and tertiary education

68.8

Economic activity

% of women and men in paid jobs, excluding agriculture; income ratio of men to women

76.6

Empowerment

% of women in professional, technical, managerial and administrative jobs; number of seats women have in parliament, and in decision-making ministerial posts

17.7

GEI value

Source: Social Watch http://www.socialwatch.org/node/11760

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 [3]

Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women

Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015

Indicators: Ü Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education

Ü Ratio of literate women to men, 15-24 years old

Ü Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector

Ü Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

MDG 3 Indicators	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Gender parity index in primary level enrolment	0.71	0.73	0.74	0.75	0.79	0.80	0.82	0.84	0.87	0.89	---
Gender parity index in secondary level enrolment	0.66	0.66	0.66	0.68	0.69	0.71	0.72	0.73	0.74	0.74	---
Gender parity index in tertiary level enrolment	0.30	0.35	0.35	0.30	0.30	0.46	0.46	0.46	0.50	0.49	---
Share of Women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector (%)	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Seats held by women in national parliament (%)	8.1	8.1	8.1	8.1	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	15.3	15.3	15.3

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, Millennium Development Goals Indicators website: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx. Data last updated on 4 February 2011. [4]

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women [5]

· Burkina Faso [6] acceded to the Convention on October 1987; it ratified the Optional Protocol in October 2005.

· The most recent CEDAW report (sixth periodic) was examined at the 47^th session in 2010. [7]

· The combined fourth and fifth periodic reports were examined at the 33^rd session in 2005.

CEDAW Country Report	Key Improvements*	Key Challenges*
Education	-The number of primary educational establishments rose from 614 to 1,128 between school years 2000-2001 and 2005-2006. -The number of girls’ first-year enrolments is increasing every year.	-Fewer girls than boys are enrolled in school. The main reasons for this are the lack of adequate schools, persistent social and cultural issues such as early marriage and the overburdening of girls with housework, school environments in which girls suffer disadvantages including sexual harassment and rape, and the poverty of parents.
Economic activity	-Recent legislative reforms led to an amendment to the Labour Code to prohibit sexual harassment. Measures have also been taken to promote women’s participation in the labour market, such as the establishment of training centres.	-A 2003 survey of household living standards showed that poverty levels are at 47.1% for women and 45.7% for men. -Rural women face particular obstacles with regards to accessing income generating opportunities; more statistical information is needed on the situation of rural women. -There are major disparities in employment, both in terms of numbers and positions held. It is evident that men are favoured in the job market.
Empowerment	-The number of women in Parliament rose from 1.4% to 14% (1992-2007). -Recent reproductive health programmes and measures have been implemented: family planning, maternal mortality reduction. -A state campaign against female genital mutilation has led to a significant decrease in the practice and an increase in women speaking out against it.	-The number of female public service officials (2001-2006) reflects the stagnant employment of the public sector in general and of women in particular. -There is a lack of specific legislation to eliminate violence against women, and a paucity of information on the incidence of this violence. -There are high rates of fertility, maternal mortality and death due to clandestine abortions, inadequate family planning services and low rates of contraceptive use.

* These lists are exemplary; information about other issues relevant for the SDC-country portfolio can be downloaded from the CEDAW-site, according to the needs of the respective user.

Download this information on a factsheet: Factsheet_Burkina Faso.pdf

[1] The GEI measures the gap between women and men with regards to education, economic participation and empowerment, based on internationally available comparable data. By comparing the most recent statistics with those of five years ago, the GEI is able to highlight recent trends in bridging these gender gaps and track progress towards gender equality. The GEI value is an average of the values obtained in the three dimensions. It ranges from 0 to 100, with lower values indicating greater gender inequality. A value of 100 would indicate no gender gap at all in each of the three dimensions.
[2] 2009 is the latest year for which GEI figures are available.
[3] The MDGs are a set of eight goals, with 18 targets to be measured by 48 quantifiable social, economic and environmental indicators – to be achieved by 2015, reflecting the world’s main development challenges. Goal 3 focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The MDGs have been viewed by some gender advocates as a distraction, and by others as a strategic entry point for promoting gender equality.
[4] Blank boxes in the chart indicate an absence of statistics on the UNSD website.
[5] Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.
[6] Accession has the same legal effect as ratification. It is the act by which a state accepts the offer or the opportunity to become party to a treaty, after the treaty has entered into force - http://unifem-eseasia.org/projects/Cedaw/cedawglossary.html
[7] Burkina Faso reports for 47^th CEDAW Committee session available at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/cedaws47.htm.

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Cote d'Ivoire

Social Watch’s Gender Equity Index (GEI) [1]

In 2009, [2] Cote d’Ivoire had a value of 39, with its highest value being in education, and its greatest gender inequalities being in the area of empowerment.
In 2009, Cote d’Ivoire ranked 156 out of 157 countries.
In 2008 Cote d’Ivoire had a value of 37, and in 2007 its value was 39.

Gender Equity Index Indicators

2009

Education

Literacy gap between men and women; male and female enrolment rates in primary, secondary and tertiary education

64.5

Economic activity

% of women and men in paid jobs, excluding agriculture; income ratio of men to women

38.1

Empowerment

% of women in professional, technical, managerial and administrative jobs; number of seats women have in parliament, and in decision-making ministerial posts

15.2

GEI value

Source: Social Watch http://www.socialwatch.org/node/11760

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 [3]

Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women

Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015

Indicators: Ü Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education

Ü Ratio of literate women to men, 15-24 years old

Ü Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector

Ü Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

MDG 3 Indicators

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Gender parity index in primary level enrolment

0.75

0.76

0.74

0.80

---

0.79

0.81

---

Gender parity index in secondary level enrolment

0.54

0.55

0.56

---

Gender parity index in tertiary level enrolment

0.39

---

0.49

0.50

---

Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector (%)

---

Seats held by women in national parliament (%)

---

8.5

8.9

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, Millennium Development Goals Indicators website: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx. Data last updated on 12 July 2011. [4]

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women [5]

· Cote d’Ivoire ratified the Convention in 1995 without reservations, but has not signed or ratified the Optional Protocol.

The CEDAW Committee will examine Cote d’Ivoire’s combined first, second and third periodic report at the 50^thsession in 2011. [6]

Download this information on a factsheet: Factsheet_Cote d'Ivoire.pdf

2009 is the latest year for which GEI figures are available.

[3] The MDGs are a set of eight goals, with 18 targets to be measured by 48 quantifiable social, economic and environmental indicators – to be achieved by 2015, reflecting the world’s main development challenges. Goal 3 focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The MDGs have been viewed by some gender advocates as a distraction, and by others as a strategic entry point for promoting gender equality.

[4] Blank boxes in the MDG chart indicate an absence of statistics on the UNSD website.

[5] Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.

[6]

Reports for Cote d’Ivoire to be considered by the CEDAW Committee at its 50^th session (October 2011) are available at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/cedaws50.htm

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Liberia

Social Watch’s Gender Equity Index (GEI) [1]

Liberia does not have a GEI value (as of 2009).

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 [2]

Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women

Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015

Indicators: Ü Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education

Ü Ratio of literate women to men, 15-24 years old

Ü Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector

Ü Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

MDG 3 Indicators	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Gender parity index in primary level enrolment	0.72	---	---	---	---	---	0.90	---	0.90	---	---
Gender parity index in secondary level enrolment	0.71	---	---	---	---	---	0.72	---	0.75	---	---
Gender parity index in tertiary level enrolment	0.74	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector (%)	---	---	---	11.4	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Seats held by women in national parliament (%)	---	7.8	7.8	7.8	7.8	5.3	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, Millennium Development Goals Indicators website: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx. Data last updated on 14 March 2011. [3]

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women [4]

· Liberia acceded [5] to the Convention on 17 July 1984 without reservations, and signed the Optional Protocol on 22 September 2004.

· Liberiahas been examined by the CEDAW Committee on one occasion; the combined initial, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth periodic report was considered in 2009. [6]

· The next report (the combined seventh and eighth periodic report) is due to be submitted in 2013.

CEDAW Country Report

Key Improvements*

Key Challenges*

Education

- Liberia is making efforts to increase enrolment and retention of girls in schools. The Ministry of Education developed the National Policy on Girls Education within the framework of the Master Plan (adopted in

2006).

- The gender gap in primary school enrolment has been reduced.

- Skills training centres and adult literacy

programmes specifically for women have been set up in the various counties.

- About 70 percent of schools were destroyed during the war.

- Enrolment rates are low – 38% primary enrolment for boys and 37% for girls, 16% secondary enrolment for boys and 14% for girls.

- Average national literacy rates for adults are 69% for men and 41% for women, with the rural literacy rate for men doubling that of women – 61% vs. 31%.

- The following are obstacles to the education of girls and young women: lack of physical infrastructure, the persistence of gender-based stereotypes in text-books and school, lack of trained and qualified teachers, persistence of sexual abuse and harassment of girls in schools, early and forced marriage, and pregnant students’ lack of access to schools.

Economic activity

- The Ministry of Gender and Development and the Ministry of Labor, in partnership with the United Nations Development fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the International Labor Organisation (ILO) have initiated a process of mainstreaming gender equality and women’s empowerment into Liberia’s poverty reduction strategy, employment policies, and programmes.

- Working men paid on wages greatly outnumber women: 25.5% of male workers and 8.0% of female workers.

- Many women work in the informal sector; they do not have rights and social benefits, including maternity protections. 90% of informal sector or agricultural workers are women, compared to 75% of working men.

- 56% of female labourers and 38% of male labourers are unpaid family workers.

Empowerment

- The Electoral Reform Law of 2008 states that political parties shall encourage minimum representation of women to all elected positions in political parties.

- Liberia has recently revised legislation that discriminates against women and enacted new laws, including the 2006 Rape Law, the new Penal Code, the 2003 Inheritance Law, and the Fairness Bill/Bill for the Equal Participation and Representation of Women in the Political Process.

- A range of plans, policies and programmes aimed at promoting gender equality have been put into place.

- The government regularly cooperates with non-governmental organisations and community-based women’s organisations to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.

- There is a low level of female participation at the highest levels of decision-making. For example, only 21% of Cabinet Ministers are female. In the 2005 elections, 5 of the 30 Senators elected were women, and 9 out of 64 seats in the House of Representatives were won by women.

- CEDAW has not yet been incorporated into Liberian law, and is not justiciable in Liberian courts. Nor is there any legislation embodying the principle of gender equality.

- Statutory and customary laws discriminate against women.

- The Ministry of Gender and Development lacks resources and capacity to fully implement the gender mainstreaming strategy.

- Traditional practices, such as early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation violate women’s rights.

- High rates of violence against women and girls (including sexual violence) persist. There is an excessive backlog of these cases in the courts.

- Liberia has high rates of maternal mortality, teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS infection affecting women and girls.

- The majority of Liberian women live in rural areas. They are disproportionately affected by unsafe living conditions as well as inadequate health services, education, economic opportunities and social benefits.

* These lists are exemplary; information about other issues relevant for the SDC-country portfolio can be downloaded from the CEDAW-site, according to the needs of the respective user.

Download this information on a factsheet: Factsheet_Liberia.pdf

[1] The GEI measures the gap between women and men with regards to education, economic participation and empowerment, based on internationally available comparable data. By comparing the most recent statistics with those of five years ago, the GEI is able to highlight recent trends in bridging these gender gaps and track progress towards gender equality. The GEI value is an average of the values obtained in the three dimensions. It ranges from 0 to 100, with lower values indicating greater gender inequality. A value of 100 would indicate no gender gap at all in each of the three dimensions.
[2] The MDGs are a set of eight goals, with 18 targets to be measured by 48 quantifiable social, economic and environmental indicators – to be achieved by 2015, reflecting the world’s main development challenges. Goal 3 focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The MDGs have been viewed by some gender advocates as a distraction, and by others as a strategic entry point for promoting gender equality.
[3] Blank boxes in the MDG chart indicate an absence of statistics on the UNSD website.
[4] Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.
[5] Accession has the same legal effect as ratification. It is the act by which a state accepts the offer or the opportunity to become party to a treaty, after the treaty has entered into force: http://unifem-eseasia.org/projects/Cedaw/cedawglossary.html
[6] Reports for Liberia considered by the CEDAW Committee at its 44^th session (2009) are available at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/cedaws44.htm

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Mali

Social Watch’s Gender Equity Index (GEI) [1]

In 2009,[2] Mali had a value of 53 - scoring relatively highly in relation to the economic activity indicators, but relatively poorly on education compared to other countries (although this is an improvement on the 2008 figure of 55.7).
In 2009, Mali ranked 113 out of 157 countries.
This reveals little change since 2008 when Mali had a value of 50, and 2007’s value of 52.

Gender Equity Index Indicators

2009

Education

Literacy gap between men and women; male and female enrolment rates in primary, secondary and tertiary education

65.6

Economic activity

% of women and men in paid jobs, excluding agriculture; income ratio of men to women

77.3

Empowerment

% of women in professional, technical, managerial and administrative jobs; number of seats women have in parliament, and in decision-making ministerial posts

17.0

GEI value

Source: Social Watch http://www.socialwatch.org/node/11760

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 [3]

Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women

Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015

Indicators: Ü Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education

Ü Ratio of literate women to men, 15-24 years old

Ü Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector

Ü Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

MDG 3 Indicators	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Gender parity index in primary level enrolment	0.73	0.72	0.74	0.75	0.76	0.77	0.79	0.80	0.83	0.84	---
Gender parity index in secondary level enrolment	0.54	---	---	0.53	0.58	0.60	0.60	0.64	0.64	0.65	---
Gender parity index in tertiary level enrolment	0.46	0.49	0.49	0.51	0.52	0.52	---	0.45	0.45	0.41	---
Share of Women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector (%)	---	---	---	---	34.6	---	---	---	---	---	---
Seats held by women in national parliament (%)	12.2	12.2	12.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, Millennium Development Goals Indicators website: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx. Data last updated on 8 February 2011. [4]

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women [5]

· Maliratified the Convention in September 1985 and acceded [6] to the Optional Protocol in December 2000.

· The most recent CEDAW report (the combined second, third, fourth and fifth periodic reports) was examined in 2006. [7]

· The next report (the combined sixth and seventh reports) was due to be submitted in 2010. [8]

CEDAW Country Report	Key Improvements*	Key Challenges*
Education	-There was a significant increase in the enrolment of girls in primary schools, from 19% in 1990 to 59.9% in 2004.	-The success rate for girls is lower than for boys, and girls are more likely to drop out of school due to early pregnancies.
Economic activity	---	-Women face discrimination in employment; reflected in the gender wage gap and occupational segregation. Women are heavily concentrated in the informal sector. Young girls who migrate as domestic workers to urban areas are often subject to sexual abuse, as well as low wages or non-payment of wages for their work.
Empowerment	-The Political Parties Act promotes the participation of women in public life by earmarking a percentage of tax receipts for the public funding of political parties in proportion to the number of women deputies and women councillors elected. -In 2002, a national programme was established to eradicate the practice of excision and other measures, including the prohibition of female genital mutilation from being carried out at health facilities, the training of personnel in the harmful effects of FGM, and the retraining of women who perform excisions (but there is still no legislation aimed at eradicating the practice).	-Discriminatory legislation denies women equal rights with men concerning transmission of nationality, marriage and family relations, and access to land. Women’s ability to bring cases of discrimination before the courts is limited by legal costs, lack of information on their rights and lack of assistance in pursuing their rights. -Few women are represented in the National Assembly, in government and at high levels of the administration. Even fewer women are mayors and municipal counsellors. -Violence against women is prevalent; there is a lack of specific legislation on domestic violence, including marital rape.

* These lists are exemplary; information about other issues relevant for the SDC-country portfolio can be downloaded from the CEDAW-site, according to the needs of the respective user.

Download this information on a factsheet: Factsheet_Mali.pdf

[1] The GEI measures the gap between women and men with regards to education, economic participation and empowerment, based on internationally available comparable data. By comparing the most recent statistics with those of five years ago, the GEI is able to highlight recent trends in bridging these gender gaps and track progress towards gender equality. The GEI value is an average of the values obtained in the three dimensions. It ranges from 0 to 100, with lower values indicating greater gender inequality. A value of 100 would indicate no gender gap at all in each of the three dimensions.
[2] 2009 is the latest year for which GEI figures are available.
[3] The MDGs are a set of eight goals, with 18 targets to be measured by 48 quantifiable social, economic and environmental indicators – to be achieved by 2015, reflecting the world’s main development challenges. Goal 3 focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The MDGs have been viewed by some gender advocates as a distraction, and by others as a strategic entry point for promoting gender equality.
[4] Blank boxes in the MDG chart indicate an absence of statistics on the UNSD website.
[5] Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.
[6] Accession has the same legal effect as ratification. It is the act by which a state accepts the offer or the opportunity to become party to a treaty, after the treaty has entered into force: http://unifem-eseasia.org/projects/Cedaw/cedawglossary.html
[7] The report was considered by the CEDAW Committee at its 34^th session in January to February 2006. It is available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/34sess.htm
[8] As of February 2011, this report has not been submitted yet: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/CEDAW.C.2011.48.2.pdf

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Niger

Social Watch’s Gender Equity Index (GEI) [1]

In 2009, [2] Niger had a value of 47, with the greatest gender inequalities being in the area of empowerment. Niger also scored poorly in the area of education.
In 2009, Niger ranked 132 out of 157 countries.
This reveals little change since 2008 and 2007, when Niger also had a value of 47.

Gender Equity Index Indicators

2009

Education

Literacy gap between men and women; male and female enrolment rates in primary, secondary and tertiary education

Economic activity

% of women and men in paid jobs, excluding agriculture; income ratio of men to women

65.8

Empowerment

% of women in professional, technical, managerial and administrative jobs; number of seats women have in parliament, and in decision-making ministerial posts

22.1

GEI value

Source: Social Watch http://www.socialwatch.org/node/11760

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 [3]

Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women

Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015

Indicators: Ü Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education

Ü Ratio of literate women to men, 15-24 years old

Ü Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector

Ü Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

MDG 3 Indicators	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Gender parity index in primary level enrolment	0.69	0.70	0.70	0.71	0.72	0.73	0.74	0.75	0.78	0.80	---
Gender parity index in secondary level enrolment	0.61	0.61	0.60	0.62	0.61	0.64	0.63	0.61	0.60	0.61	---
Gender parity index in tertiary level enrolment	---	---	---	0.30	0.30	0.33	0.29	0.32	0.34	0.34	---
Share of Women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector (%)	---	---	---	---	---	25.4	27.2	30.4	36.1	---	---
Seats held by women in national parliament (%)	1.2	1.2	1.2	1.2	1.2	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	9.7

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, Millennium Development Goals Indicators website: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx. Data last updated on 8 February 2011. [4]

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women [5]

· Niger acceded [6] to the Convention in October 1999, with several reservations.

· It acceded to the Optional Protocol in September 2004.

· The most recent CEDAW report (the combined initial and second periodic reports) was examined in 2007. [7]

· The next report (the combined third and fourth report) is due to be submitted in 2012.

CEDAW Country Report

Key Improvements*

Key Challenges*

Education

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-Low school enrolment rates for girls, particularly in higher education.

-High illiteracy rates among women.

-Persistent gender stereotypes in school curricula.

Economic activity

---

-Some of the State party’s labour laws, which are overly protective of women as mothers and restrict women’s participation in the public sphere, create obstacles to women’s participation in the labour market.

-There is a lack of data on women’s participation in the labour force and in the informal sector.

Empowerment

-Positive legal and policy reforms include the national policy for the advancement of women, reforms to the Penal Code in 2004, including provisions prohibiting female genital mutilation and slavery, and the Reproductive Health Act (2006).

-A quota system for positions reserved for women in decision-making bodies has been established, resulting in an increase in the representation of women in the National Assembly and in high-level government positions.

-The Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Protection of Children has been established, as well as the National Institute for Monitoring the Advancement of Women.

-Awareness of the Convention and Optional Protocol is poor, including among judges, lawyers and prosecutors, and by women themselves. Women’s ability to bring cases of discrimination before the courts is limited by poverty, illiteracy, lack of information about their rights and lack of assistance in pursuing their rights.

-Continuing legal provisions and regulations discriminate against women, including the law on nationality. Discriminatory customary laws and practices persist in areas of divorce, custody and inheritance.

-Lack of access by women and girls to adequate healthcare services, including family planning, particularly in rural areas.

-High rates of teenage pregnancy and fistula problems. -High maternal and infant mortality

-Low rates of contraceptive use.

-High prevalence of violence against women, including forced and early marriage, sexual abuse of women and female genital mutilation.

* These lists are exemplary; information about other issues relevant for the SDC-country portfolio can be downloaded from the CEDAW-site, according to the needs of the respective user.

Download this information on a factsheet: Factsheet_Niger.pdf

[1] The GEI measures the gap between women and men with regards to education, economic participation and empowerment, based on internationally available comparable data. By comparing the most recent statistics with those of five years ago, the GEI is able to highlight recent trends in bridging these gender gaps and track progress towards gender equality. The GEI value is an average of the values obtained in the three dimensions. It ranges from 0 to 100, with lower values indicating greater gender inequality. A value of 100 would indicate no gender gap at all in each of the three dimensions.
[2] 2009 is the latest year for which GEI figures are available.
[3] The MDGs are a set of eight goals, with 18 targets to be measured by 48 quantifiable social, economic and environmental indicators – to be achieved by 2015, reflecting the world’s main development challenges. Goal 3 focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The MDGs have been viewed by some gender advocates as a distraction, and by others as a strategic entry point for promoting gender equality.
[4] Blank boxes in the MDG chart indicate an absence of statistics on the UNSD website.
[5] Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.
[6] Accession has the same legal effect as ratification. It is the act by which a state accepts the offer or the opportunity to become party to a treaty, after the treaty has entered into force: http://unifem-eseasia.org/projects/Cedaw/cedawglossary.html.
[7] The report was considered by the CEDAW Committee at its 38^th session in May - June 2007. It is available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/38sess.htm.

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