Authors: United States Department of State – Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Site of publication: Theadvocateforhumanrights
Type of publication: Report
Date of publication: 2024
Executive Summary
There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Benin during the year.
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: arbitrary arrest or detention; serious abuses in a conflict; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including censorship; transnational repression against individuals in another country; and trafficking in persons.
The government took some credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.
Extrajudicial Killings
There was a report that the government or its agents committed an arbitrary or unlawful killing during the year. The police opened an investigation into Fayçal’s death, suspended the five officers involved, and placed them under house arrest.
Freedom of the Press
Many public and private media outlets refrained from openly criticizing government policy.
On September 19, HAAC advised media outlets to exercise caution and follow journalism ethics when reporting sensitive matters including terrorist attacks and warned it would suspend media outlets that failed to comply with this requirement.
Physical Attacks, Imprisonment, and Pressure
There were reports the government inhibited freedom of the press through restrictions and on sanctioning of media members.
Censorship by Governments, Military, Intelligence, or Police Forces, Criminal Groups, or Armed Extremist or Rebel Groups
Public and private media refrained from openly criticizing government policy or reporting on security concerns. Media outlets also practiced self-censorship due to fear the government would suspend their licenses.
Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
The law provided for the rights of workers, except certain civil servants and public employees, to form and join independent unions with some restrictions. The law did not establish clear grounds on which registration of a trade union could be denied or approved, and official registration could be denied without the union having recourse to a court.
There were no reports of significant barriers to international affiliation. The right to strike was carefully regulated. The law restricted the maximum duration of a strike to 10 days per year for all employees, except workers barred from striking. By law, health-sector employees, along with officers serving in the military, police, customs, air traffic control, and water and forest management, were barred from striking. Authorities could declare strikes illegal for reasons such as threatening social peace and order and could requisition striking workers to maintain minimum services.
The government generally respected the right to form and join independent unions and the right to collective bargaining.
Wage and Hour Laws
The government set minimum wage scales for several occupations in the formal sector that were slightly higher than the poverty level. According to the UN Development Program, 60 percent of the population, predominantly in the informal sector, lived on an income of 1,200 West African CFA ($1.90) a day or less, a poverty-level income less than the minimum wage.
The labor code set workweek hours at 40 to 60 hours, depending on the type of work, and provided for paid holidays and at least one 24-hour rest period per week.
Occupational Safety and Health
The law established appropriate occupational safety and health (OSH) standards. Provisions of the law related to acceptable conditions of work applied to all formal-sector workers, including migrants.
The government had authority to require employers to remedy dangerous work conditions but did not effectively do so. The insufficient number of labor inspectors and lack of resources to implement inspections impeded government efforts.
The law did not provide workers the right to remove themselves from dangerous work situations without jeopardy to continued employment.
In some mechanical and carpentry shops, children worked near dangerous tools and equipment, and some adults and children lacked adequate protective gear.
Prolonged Detention without Charges
The constitution required arrest warrants based on sufficient evidence, issued by a duly authorized judicial official, and a hearing be held before a magistrate within 48 hours of arrest, but these rights were not always observed.
There were credible reports of individuals held beyond the legal limit of 48 hours of detention before a hearing, sometimes by more than a week. Persons were detained without judicial authorization.
Torture and Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
The constitution and law prohibited such practices, and there were no credible reports government officials employed them.
According to the 2020 UNICEF Inter-country Statistical Overview, 9 percent of girls and women ages 15 to 49 had undergone FGM/C. The government, in conjunction with NGOs and international partners, continued to raise public awareness of the dangers of the practice.
Child Marriage
The practice was widespread in rural areas, despite government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) efforts to end it through information sessions on the rights of women and children. Local NGOs reported some communities concealed the practice.
Provision of First Asylum
The law provided for the granting of asylum or refugee status, and the government had a system for providing protection to refugees. UNHCR received reports that humanitarian organizations could not access many asylum seekers and persons of concern from Burkina Faso and Togo along the northern border due to security concerns.
Acts of Antisemitism and Antisemitic Incitement
There was no known Jewish community, and there were no reports of antisemitic incidents.
Instances of Transnational Repression
There were credible reports the government – through other countries– engaged in an act of transnational repression.
Violence
Several local attorneys criticized the lack of due process in these cases.