UN urges Cape Verde to block recognition of unions begun with minors
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Expresso das Ilhas
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women recommends that Cape Verde amend its Civil Code so unions begun when a person was a minor are no longer recognised retroactively. After reviewing Cape Verde’s report on 16 October in Geneva, it also called for better protection of women’s rights in unregistered unions, according to Expresso das Ilhas.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has recommended that Cape Verde amend its Civil Code to prevent the retroactive recognition of de facto unions that began when one of the people involved was a minor. The recommendation appeared in a statement issued on 2 November, after the review of Cape Verde’s tenth periodic report, presented on 16 October in Geneva, Expresso das Ilhas reports.
CEDAW is concerned about the rule allowing a de facto union to be recognised after three years of cohabitation, saying it could legitimise unions that began when one of the partners was a minor. The committee also called for formal recognition procedures to be extended to all the islands and for women to receive guarantees concerning property, maintenance and housing in cases of separation or widowhood.
The committee also noted a fall in women’s representation in the national government, from 53.3% in 2010 to 16.7% in the 2026 executive. It recommends amending the parity law to ensure fair representation in the executive and senior positions in the public administration.
CEDAW finally called for the law on gender-based violence to be revised to explicitly criminalise political violence and harassment targeting women, including in the digital sphere, according to Expresso das Ilhas.
