Our Stakeholder report to Benin’s Universal Periodic Review, led by Dr. Amna Nazir, makes specific recommendations to the government regarding child, early and forced marriage.
Researchers
Consultancy background
This Stakeholder Report focuses upon child, early and forced marriage and makes recommendations to the Government of Benin on this key issue, implementation of which would see Benin move towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5 which aim for “gender equality and empowering all women and girls” and “inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
Download the stakeholder report
On 27 October 2022, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published its Stakeholder Summary Report for Benin, which cited the UPR Project at BCU:
“As a result of COVID-19 school closures, the UPR Project at BCU (UPR BCU) noted that girls might have increased exposure to sexual violence and unwanted pregnancy, and that a disproportionate number of girls will not return to education, and recommended to adopt a COVID-19 response strategy that prioritizes the prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriage, paying particular attention on vulnerable adolescents, girls, and women.” (para 64)
“UPR BCU noted that articles 120 and 123 of the Persons and Family Code 2002 and Article 375 of the Child Code 2015 established the legal minimum age of marriage as 18 years-old but minors could marry before 18 years with parental consent or in some cases judicial consent…UPR BCU recommended Benin to prioritise the effective implementation of the Child Code, to adopt a National Action Plan to End Child Marriage, and to conduct awareness raising and education programmes.” (para 67)
Following the pre-sessions in Geneva, the European Union Delegation to the United Nations invited Dr Nazir to present at the Informal Exchange of Views with the EU Member States which took place on 6th December 2022. Dr Nazir raised concerns over the issue of child, early and forced marriage in Benin and urged Member States to issue recommendations in this regard.
EU Submission presentation sheet
The outcome of the review was published on 23 March 2023 in the Report of the Working Group. The following relevant recommendations were made to Benin:
Eradicate child marriage. Recommending state: Panama (136.199); Slovenia (136.111)
Consider adopting a national action plan to end child marriage. Recommending state: Zambia (136.226);
Strengthen the efforts to accelerate the progress of girls’ education. Recommending state: Indonesia (136.176); Ethiopia (136.177); Malawi (136.179); Panama (136.199); Mexico (136.214); Lao People’s Democratic Republic (136.236)
These Member State recommendations are consistent with the categories of recommendations identified in the UPR Project at BCU’s Stakeholder Report for Benin’s UPR.
About the UPR Project at BCU
The Centre for Human Rights (CHR) has been engaging with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) since 2016. Under the auspice of the Human Rights Council, the UPR is an intergovernmental process providing a review of the human rights record of all Member States.
Through the UPR Project at BCU, the CHR we engage with the UPR through taking part in the UPR Pre-sessions, providing capacity building for UPR stakeholders and National Human Rights Institutions, and the filing of stakeholder reports in selected sessions. The UPR Project is designed to help meet the challenges facing the safeguarding of human rights around the world, and to help ensure that UPR recommendations are translated into domestic legal change in member state parliaments.
We fully support the UPR ethos of encouraging the sharing of best practice globally to protect everyone's human rights. The UPR Project at BCU engages with the UPR regularly as a stakeholder, having submitted numerous reports and been cited by the OHCHR.