Human rights Better respect for basic rights needed

    After the toppling of President Blaise Compaoré, the human rights situation in Burkina Faso did initially improve. However, with the worsening of the security situation in recent years, there has also been a marked deterioration in the human rights situation once again.

    A community health worker in the village of Djomga in Dori, northeastern Burkina Faso, talks about maternal and child health and proper hygiene.

    A community health worker in the village of Djomga in Dori, northeastern Burkina Faso, talks about maternal and child health and proper hygiene.

    The armed Islamist groups have been accused of massacres, sexual violence, forced displacement and the deployment of child soldiers. However, there have also been reports of serious human rights violations by government security forces and by the local militias that have been raised in many parts of the country since 2015. These “self-defence groups” are receiving financial and technical support from the government. However, particularly in the northern part of the country, they are acting largely outside government control.

    In addition, space for civil society organisations and critical voices has been shrinking. For example, critics of the military regime find themselves being forcibly recruited for the voluntary defence troops.


    Freedom of opinion and freedom of the press

    Burkina Faso was long regarded as a model of press freedom in Africa. The World Press Freedom Index compiled by the non-governmental organisation Reporters Without Borders ranked Burkina Faso in 41st place out of 180 countries evaluated in 2022; in 2023 the country had fallen to 58th place. In recent years, there have been growing restrictions placed on independent and critical reporting. Some French news outlets have been banned from broadcasting and journalists have been expelled from the country. Many media companies are also facing financing problems.

    Women's and girls' rights

    Particularly in rural areas, there is still little respect for women’s and girls’ basic rights. Women are rarely involved in political decision-making processes.

    Although the age at which girls can legally marry is 17 (20 for boys), many girls are married off at a younger age. Child marriages and a lack of sexuality education often lead to teenage pregnancies. Nearly one in three girls under the age of eighteen has already given birth. Girls who have become pregnant usually have to leave school.

    Combating female genital mutilation

    Female genital mutilation (FGM) has been banned by law in Burkina Faso since 1996 and is a criminal offence. Studies show that the number of cases of FGM is declining markedly, in particular among girls under the age of fourteen.

    Compared with other countries in the region, Burkina Faso’s political commitment in this regard is exemplary. As early as the mid-1970s, civil society groups started campaigning for an end to this cruel practice. In 1990, the national committee for the eradication of FGM was founded. The committee was chaired by then First Lady Compaoré. In 2011, the committee was elevated to a National Council.

    Child labour and child trafficking

    Although the rights of children and young people are enshrined in law, child labour and child trafficking remain widespread. It is estimated that around 40 per cent of all children work, the majority of them doing what is described as “hazardous and harmful work” under exploitative conditions – for example in cotton production and gold mines.

    As at: 15/02/2024