Overview of Human Rights in Niger

The Republic of Niger is a republic and has the distinction of being one of the poorest countries in the world. Indeed, it has ranked last on both the United Nations Human Development Index and the Human Poverty Index in recent years. That said, international monitors deemed recent elections to be relatively free and fair.  As well, in the past few years, Niger has worked to improve its human rights record, although some serious problem areas remain.  The executive branch is known to interfere in the judiciary. It is also known to limit the freedoms of speech, press, and assembly. Members of the security forces continue to arbitrarily arrest and detain suspects. Once in custody, torture, beatings and emotional abuse can occur. Poor prison conditions and prolonged pretrial detention are also issues held over from previous years. Forced child labor and child prostitution are areas of concern. Human trafficking is also becoming more common in the region. Societal discrimination against persons with disabilities, in addition to ethnic and religious minorities, have also been noted. Poverty, food shortages, and the imposition of a higher value added tax (VAT) in the last year all negatively influenced the human rights situation in Niger.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

177th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.