The population in Chad is characterised by a distinct division between ethnic groups who inhabit the north and those who live in the south, a fact that is relevant to certain gender issues. The north is home to the Arab, Peul and Hausa ethnic groups, who are Muslims and often livestock farmers; collectively, they represent half of the population. In the south, the dominant groups include Animists, who make up 39 per cent of the population, and Christians, who make up 11 per cent. The country’s largest ethnic group is the Saras, who live off agriculture.
The Family Code of Chad grants almost no rights to women. Many marriages are arranged when girls are just 11 or 12 years old, and sometimes involve the payment of a dowry. Despite a law that prohibits sexual relationships with girls under the age of 14 years, including those who are married, the incidence of early marriage is extremely high. A 2004 United Nations report estimated that 49 per cent of girls between 15 and 19 years of age were married, divorced or widowed. The high incidence of marriage before the age of 16 years contributes to the very low level of girls’ enrolment in secondary education.
Polygamy is common in Chad: it is practised throughout the country and affects more than one-third of married women.
According to tradition, only men can be heads of families and exercise authority. Regulations concerning parental authority are highly unfavourable to the mother. In the event of divorce, mothers can maintain custody only until children reach the age of five or six years.
Women in Chad face numerous discriminations in the area of inheritance rights.
The physical integrity of women in Chad is very poorly protected. There is legislation prohibiting violence against women, but there are no specific provisions to protect women. Domestic violence remains common, but victims rarely initiate legal proceedings; families and the traditional authorities try to settle such cases themselves.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been prohibited in Chad since 2002 and the government has embarked on a campaign to eradiate the practice. About half of Chadian women have been subjected to FGM: sometimes only a single, symbolic cut is made but about one-third of women have undergone more severe forms. The prevalence of FGM varies widely depending on ethnic group, region, religion, education and standard of living. To date, it does not appear that the 2002 legislation is having much effect: statistics for FGM remain stable and the percentages of those forced to submit to the practice are similar across all age groups. There is, however, a decrease in the number of mothers who have subjected their daughters to FGM, or intend to do so. Thus, the 2002 legislation and educational efforts may yet have a positive impact.
Chad does not appear to be a country of concern in relation to missing women.
Women in Chad have virtually no ownership rights. Access to land is very difficult for women as tradition reserves this right for men. In fact, Chadian men rarely grant women the right to own even a small plot of land. In general, Chadian women have very little access to property other than land.
In Chad, women’s access to bank loans is severely limited by the need to obtain their husbands’ consent to open a bank account.
In general, women in Chad have few civil liberties. In principle, women have freedom of movement, but in some regions they must be accompanied by a man even for everyday tasks such as shopping. If a woman’s husband is away, she will ask one of her sons to accompany her. Freedom of dress exists for women in the south, but nearly all women in northern Chad are obliged to wear the veil.
Afrol News (n.d.), Gender Profile: Chad, www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/profiles/chad_women.htm.
Lang, J. (1998), Enquête sur la situation des femmes dans le monde, Rapport d’information no. 733, Assemblée Nationale, Paris.
Ouagadjio, B. et al (2004), Enquête Démographique et de Santé Tchad 2004, INSEED et ORC Macro, Calverton, MD.
