Benin report - Institut Africain de la Gouvernance

CHAPTER SIX: SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT__________________________________________________________________________867. Equal opportunities in access to resources and services. Benin ratified theInternational Pact on Socioeconomic and Cultural Rights, of 16 December1966, on 12 March 1992. Therefore, it pledged to grant the same rights to menand women by ensuring (in particular) that women enjoy their right toemployment, social security, health and education fully.868. Education. With regard to gender equality in access to social services, Beninhas made some progress, especially in the area of education. In fact, Benin hasinitiated several policies and programmes to eliminate gender disparities ineducation, where the efforts of the country are most remarkable. Theseinclude: the abolition of school fees for girls; the creation of a girls‟ educationnetwork; the Social Development Support Programme (DEVESCO), with itsEducation Project; and the PNPF with its action plan.869. However, despite this significant progress made at the policy level, the CRMnoted that most boys of school-going age went to school in 2002. The same isnot true for the girls. The net school enrolment rate for girls stood at 78.1% asagainst 110.46% for boys. The situation is similar in primary schools, andtoday the girl-boy ratio is 0.7.870. According to the third population census of 2003, the net enrolment rate forchildren aged 6-11 years was 49.4% for girls, and 69.9% for boys. For thoseaged 6-14 years, the rate stood at 45.3% for girls and at 56.9% for boys 66 .871. Disparities are also observed at the regional level. For example, Mono had anet enrolment rate of 65.6% for girls and 74.5% for boys for children aged 6-14 years. Atacora had only 28.4% for girls and 43% for boys, while Aliborihad only 20.2% for girls as against 24.8% for boys.872. Although it is well known that girls are at a disadvantage, their problem ismore one of lack of access to schools than gender inequality: “When there areno schools even for the boys, where do you expect to find schools for thegirls?” During discussions with stakeholders, the CRM noted that in the areaof child labour in general, and of female child labour in particular, unwantedpregnancies and early marriages – girls are contracted to relieve families oftheir economic burdens or to guarantee the girls‟ futures – were the maincauses of the education drop-out rate of over 50% for girls as against 30% forboys. In fact, according to UNFPA 67 , 70% of boys complete primary school asagainst 47% of girls.873. With regard to literacy education, in a country where almost two-thirds of thepopulation is illiterate, women are no better off. Literate women represent only32.5% of young people aged 15-24 years, compared to 58.2% for men. Theproportion among adults is 22.6% for women and 46.4% for men. This is amajor challenge that requires a lot of concerted effort from all stakeholders,particularly the government, which should make literacy one of thedevelopment priorities.66 INSAE. 2003. Third RGPH. Volume 3.67 UNFPA. 2003. Data on Benin.278