Burkina Faso - Universal Periodic Review

UPR 30, May 7, 2018
Canada’s recommendations

Recommendations

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Thank you, Mr. President.

Canada congratulates Burkina Faso on its efforts to strengthen human rights, notably its enacting of legislation to protect human rights advocates. Canada also welcomes the enactment of law number 061-2015/CNT on preventing, suppressing and making reparation for violence against women and girls.

Canada recommends that Burkina Faso:

1. Ensure that defence and security forces respect human rights when carrying out actions to prevent violent extremism and combat terrorism. 
2. Ensure that law number 061-2015/CNT is effectively implemented with the participation of various social stakeholders.
3. Give concrete expression to its willingness to raise the legal age of marriage for girls to 18 in order to combat child, early and forced marriage. 

Canada is closely monitoring the process to draft the new constitution. Canada appreciates the provisions contained in the current version and encourages the Burkinabe government to defend them at the time of its final adoption.

Background

According to UPR Info, a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) that tracks the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, in the first two cycles of the UPR, Burkina Faso received 166 recommendations, of which 138 were accepted (an acceptance rate of 83%). Canada’s recommendations focused on the pursuit of regular dialogue with various social stakeholders to promote equality between men and women and to identify practical means of putting an end to harmful practices against women and girls.

The situation of human rights Burkina Faso is generally considered positive in comparison to many countries of the sub-region. Freedom of expression, freedom of press and freedom of association are guaranteed with good dynamics in civil society. Since its last review, the government has enacted legislation that protects the rights of some categories of vulnerable individuals and human rights advocates, promoting judicial independence and cracking down on violations like child trafficking and violence against women and girls. A draft constitution contains progressive provisions, including the removal of the death penalty.

However, some practices that are harmful to women and girls persist: child, early and forced marriage; levirate (the requirement that a widow marry her brother-in-law); female genital mutilation; poor access to contraceptive methods; social exclusion through allegations of witchcraft; etc. These rights issues are more the result of habits and customs that are not well ground in law. The government still has not raised the legal age of marriage for girls which is still of 17 for girls whilst it is of 21 for boys.

The security context in the Sahel region directly affects Burkina Faso. Small- and large-scale terrorist attacks are on the rise, leading to the violation and deprivation of rights, such as a child’s right to education because of the closure of schools in affected regions. In its latest 2016 report, Amnesty International indicates there have been human rights violations by vigilante groups (Kolgwéogo) that are attempting to take the place of official authorities. Allegations of extrajudicial killings sometimes arise when defence and even state security forces operate in regions affected by terrorism.