Human Rights, Freedom, Tolerance and Equality in Africa
Statistical Comparisons

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)1
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank1
1	Algeria	111.2
2	Angola	136.2
3	Benin	95.9
4	Botswana	95.0
5	Burkina Faso	76.3
6	Burundi	126.3
7	Cameroon	115.4
8	Cape Verde	75.3
9	Central African Rep.	121.2
10	Chad	130.6
	...
59	S. Sudan	90.5
	Africa Avg	108.4
	World Avg	87.7
q=59. No data: 22

Human Rights struggle in much of Africa. The best countries in Africa at protecting human rights, engendering tolerance and supporting equality, are S. Africa, Seychelles and Namibia but the continent as a whole does poorly compared to the global average. The worst countries are Somalia, Sudan and Mauritania. Things are getting better. There is a rising expectation amongst Africans that governance must be fairer and less corrupt although this will cause more conflict for at least a generation₃. In the last decade, a series of murderous dictators have been brought to justice₄, and the developing courts of Africa have found themselves empowered to seek out human rights abusers at the highest levels. Although many countries are steeped in conflict, a message is being sent that war crimes and abusers cannot operate with immunity. When multiple rulers threatened to cease support for the International Criminal Court, an "an outpouring of popular support... helped to persuade most African governments to continue to stand behind the court₅". In sub-Saharan Africa, a decrease in violence and increase in the rule of law and protections of human rights have led to a steady increase in peaceability since 2007IEP (2023)..

1. Amnesty International Report 2022-23
2. Results by Country
3. Human Rights & Tolerance
   1. Human Rights Watch Comments
   2. Nominal Commitment to HR
   3. HR Treaties Lag
   4. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom
   5. Press Freedom
   6. Slavery
4. Gender Equality
   1. Gender Inequality
   2. Gender Biases
   3. Year Women Can Vote
5. Prejudice
   1. Anti-Semite Opinions
   2. LGBT Equality
   3. Freedom of Thought
6. Things are Getting Better
7. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in Africa
8. Links

---

1. Amnesty International Report 2022-23 ₆

#central_african_republic #rwanda #south_sudan #sudan

“[In 2022-23] The scourge of conflict remained entrenched [...]. Armed groups and government forces alike targeted civilians, leaving a trail of death and destruction. [...] There was limited progress across the region in fighting impunity and ensuring the right to truth, justice and reparation for victims of crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations and abuses.

In March, Chadian authorities surrendered Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka, an Anti-Balaka armed group leader, to the ICC to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in 2013 and 2014 in CAR. In May, Dutch authorities arrested a former army officer suspected of involvement in the massacre of the Tutsi in Mugina city, Rwanda, during the 1994 genocide. The trials of Ali Mohammed Ali, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur in Sudan, and Mahamat Said, alleged commander of the Seleka armed group in CAR, opened at the ICC in April and September, respectively. Other trials concerning crimes committed by members of armed groups in CAR opened at the Court of Assizes in Bangui, the capital, and at the Special Criminal Court. In South Sudan, a military tribunal in Yei convicted eight soldiers of rape committed in the context of the conflict. [...] Governments must bolster efforts to fight impunity by undertaking thorough, independent, impartial, effective and transparent investigations into crimes under international law and bringing suspected perpetrators to justice in fair trials in civilian courts.”

"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23"
Amnesty International (2023)₇

2. Results by Country

#equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)1
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank1
1	Afghanistan	140.8
2	Albania	59.6
3	Algeria	111.2
4	Andorra	84.3
5	Angola	136.2
6	Antigua & Barbuda	105.4
7	Argentina	43.8
8	Armenia	71.6
9	Australia	24.1
10	Austria	22.5
11	Azerbaijan	87.1
12	Bahamas	105.3
13	Bahrain	112.9
14	Bangladesh	113.2
15	Barbados	85.3
16	Belarus	78.9
17	Belgium	26.1
18	Belize	94.1
19	Benin	95.9
20	Bhutan	114.4
21	Bolivia	53.8
22	Bosnia & Herzegovina	63.4
23	Botswana	95.0
24	Brazil	52.3
25	Brunei	147.1
26	Bulgaria	46.5
27	Burkina Faso	76.3
28	Burundi	126.3
29	Cambodia	102.5
30	Cameroon	115.4
31	Canada	21.2
32	Cape Verde	75.3
33	Central African Rep.	121.2
34	Chad	130.6
35	Chile	40.1
36	China	92.0
37	Colombia	64.4
38	Comoros	141.2
39	Congo, (Brazzaville)	115.2
40	Congo, DR	126.9
41	Cook Islands	144.5
42	Costa Rica	36.7
43	Croatia	58.3
44	Cuba	97.7
45	Cyprus	46.7
46	Czechia	37.9
47	Denmark	14.7
48	Djibouti	140.9
49	Dominica	105.6
50	Dominican Rep.	83.3
51	Ecuador	58.1
52	Egypt	113.6
53	El Salvador	66.9
54	Equatorial Guinea	128.6
55	Eritrea	139.8
56	Estonia	42.9
57	Ethiopia	116.9
58	Fiji	102.4
59	Finland	23.9
60	France	24.8
61	Gabon	95.4
62	Gambia	117.4
63	Georgia	64.3
64	Germany	24.9
65	Ghana	88.1
66	Greece	58.3
67	Grenada	128.6
68	Guatemala	63.0
69	Guinea	116.8
70	Guinea-Bissau	117.3
71	Guyana	102.9
72	Haiti	86.6
73	Honduras	72.1
74	Hong Kong	24.3
75	Hungary	52.6
76	Iceland	20.1
77	India	96.9
78	Indonesia	111.2
79	Iran	133.8
80	Iraq	124.5
81	Ireland	38.5
82	Israel	83.5
83	Italy	37.3
84	Ivory Coast	100.5
85	Jamaica	64.6
86	Japan	42.1
87	Jordan	102.2
88	Kazakhstan	97.9
89	Kenya	92.6
90	Kiribati	138.4
91	Kosovo	54.2
92	Kuwait	106.7
93	Kyrgyzstan	79.6
94	Laos	108.3
95	Latvia	52.6
96	Lebanon	98.8
97	Lesotho	95.0
98	Liberia	118.0
99	Libya	115.0
100	Liechtenstein	73.9
101	Lithuania	53.2
102	Luxembourg	23.9
103	Macedonia	82.2
104	Madagascar	100.6
105	Malawi	123.4
106	Malaysia	127.3
107	Maldives	110.7
108	Mali	82.4
109	Malta	46.3
110	Marshall Islands	134.6
111	Mauritania	144.7
112	Mauritius	72.6
113	Mexico	56.6
114	Micronesia	128.8
115	Moldova	81.5
116	Monaco	94.2
117	Mongolia	60.5
118	Montenegro	71.8
119	Morocco	102.8
120	Mozambique	95.1
121	Myanmar (Burma)	128.7
122	Namibia	69.7
123	Nauru	123.4
124	Nepal	90.1
125	Netherlands	15.8
126	New Zealand	17.5
127	Nicaragua	74.5
128	Niger	94.0
129	Nigeria	107.1
130	N. Korea	146.8
131	Norway	14.7
132	Oman	121.5
133	Pakistan	141.5
134	Palau	131.0
135	Palestine	138.0
136	Panama	59.9
137	Papua New Guinea	122.4
138	Paraguay	70.5
139	Peru	54.0
q=225. No data: 618

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu₉.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₉, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia₉.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

The table on the right shows the full results list for Africa.

Compare Africa to other regions of the world: Compare International Statistics by Region and Continent.

3. Human Rights & Tolerance

3.1. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments (2017)10
Pos.		Higher is better Score10
1	Algeria	-8
2	Angola	-4
3	Burundi	-10
4	Central African Rep.	-8
5	Congo, DR	-10
6	Ivory Coast	-1
7	Egypt	-7
8	Equatorial Guinea	-7
9	Eritrea	-9
10	Ethiopia	-7
11	Gambia	2
12	Kenya	-4
13	Libya	-9
14	Mali	-5
15	Morocco	-4
16	Mozambique	-2
17	Nigeria	-4
18	Rwanda	-6
19	Somalia	-9
20	S. Africa	-2
21	Sudan	-10
22	Swaziland	-7
23	Tanzania	-3
24	Tunisia	-2
25	Uganda	-5
26	Zimbabwe	-5
27	S. Sudan	-5
	Africa Avg	-5.6
	World Avg	-1.9
q=27. No data: 3411

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

3.2. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)12
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties12
1	Algeria	18
2	Angola	12
3	Benin	16
4	Botswana	14
5	Burkina Faso	20
6	Burundi	16
7	Cameroon	14
8	Cape Verde	15
9	Central African Rep.	12
10	Chad	15
11	Comoros	9
12	Congo, DR	16
13	Congo, (Brazzaville)	13
14	Ivory Coast	13
15	Djibouti	13
16	Egypt	16
17	Equatorial Guinea	13
18	Eritrea	8
19	Ethiopia	12
20	Gabon	16
21	Gambia	13
22	Ghana	16
23	Guinea	17
24	Guinea-Bissau	8
25	Kenya	14
26	Lesotho	19
27	Liberia	15
28	Libya	15
29	Madagascar	14
30	Malawi	13
31	Mali	21
32	Mauritania	13
33	Mauritius	14
34	Morocco	17
35	Mozambique	15
36	Namibia	20
37	Niger	18
38	Nigeria	16
39	Rwanda	19
40	Sao Tome & Principe	7
41	Senegal	21
42	Seychelles	16
43	Sierra Leone	15
44	Somalia	8
45	S. Africa	20
46	Sudan	14
47	Swaziland	11
48	Tanzania	15
49	Togo	16
50	Tunisia	18
51	Uganda	19
52	Zambia	13
53	Zimbabwe	11
	Africa Avg	14.8
	World Avg	15.1
q=53. No data: 813

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

3.3. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag (2019)14
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Yrs/Treaty14
1	Algeria	9.95
2	Angola	11.59
3	Benin	11.15
4	Botswana	12.05
5	Burkina Faso	8.78
6	Burundi	11.27
7	Cameroon	11.63
8	Cape Verde	6.40
9	Central African Rep.	11.87
10	Chad	11.23
11	Comoros	14.82
12	Congo, DR	7.72
13	Congo, (Brazzaville)	11.91
14	Ivory Coast	12.14
15	Djibouti	13.99
16	Egypt	4.52
17	Equatorial Guinea	13.18
18	Eritrea	8.66
19	Ethiopia	11.13
20	Gabon	9.47
21	Gambia	12.12
22	Ghana	10.64
23	Guinea	7.43
24	Guinea-Bissau	13.23
25	Kenya	8.58
26	Lesotho	9.44
27	Liberia	13.61
28	Libya	5.61
29	Madagascar	7.75
30	Malawi	11.77
31	Mali	4.97
32	Mauritania	13.56
33	Mauritius	7.09
34	Morocco	5.44
35	Mozambique	11.04
36	Namibia	4.36
37	Niger	9.89
38	Nigeria	9.71
39	Rwanda	6.83
40	Sao Tome & Principe	16.17
41	Senegal	4.32
42	Seychelles	7.73
43	Sierra Leone	9.33
44	Somalia	15.71
45	S. Africa	12.51
46	Sudan	11.65
47	Swaziland	13.16
48	Tanzania	8.05
49	Togo	7.50
50	Tunisia	3.65
51	Uganda	7.03
52	Zambia	10.81
53	Zimbabwe	13.95
54	S. Sudan	5.41
	Africa Avg	9.88
	World Avg	10.02
q=54. No data: 715

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

3.4. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)16
Pos.		Lower is better Rank16
1	Algeria	152
2	Angola	150
3	Benin	79
4	Botswana	93
5	Burkina Faso	88
6	Burundi	122
7	Cameroon	126
8	Cape Verde	92
9	Central African Rep.	155
10	Chad	146
11	Congo, DR	151
12	Congo, (Brazzaville)	139
13	Ivory Coast	110
14	Egypt	144
15	Ethiopia	142
16	Gabon	135
17	Gambia	125
18	Ghana	59
19	Guinea	149
20	Guinea-Bissau	118
21	Kenya	88
22	Lesotho	94
23	Liberia	94
24	Libya	159
25	Madagascar	65
26	Malawi	106
27	Mali	124
28	Mauritania	143
29	Mauritius	34
30	Morocco	131
31	Mozambique	103
32	Namibia	69
33	Niger	132
34	Nigeria	140
35	Rwanda	85
36	Senegal	111
37	Seychelles	51
38	Sierra Leone	133
39	S. Africa	74
40	Swaziland	134
41	Tanzania	99
42	Togo	136
43	Tunisia	123
44	Uganda	100
45	Zambia	103
46	Zimbabwe	148
	Africa Avg	114.2
	World Avg	79.7
q=46. No data: 1517

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]

The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”

"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₁₈

3.5. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom (2013)19
Pos.		Lower is better19
1	Algeria	3654
2	Angola	3780
3	Benin	2833
4	Botswana	2291
5	Burkina Faso	2370
6	Burundi	3802
7	Cameroon	3478
8	Cape Verde	1433
9	Central African Rep.	2661
10	Chad	3487
11	Comoros	2452
12	Congo, DR	4166
13	Congo, (Brazzaville)	2820
14	Ivory Coast	2977
15	Djibouti	6740
16	Egypt	4866
17	Equatorial Guinea	6720
18	Eritrea	8483
19	Ethiopia	3957
20	Gabon	2869
21	Gambia	4509
22	Ghana	1727
23	Guinea	2849
24	Guinea-Bissau	2894
25	Kenya	2780
26	Lesotho	2836
27	Liberia	2989
28	Libya	3786
29	Madagascar	2862
30	Malawi	2818
31	Mali	3003
32	Mauritania	2676
33	Mauritius	2647
34	Morocco	3904
35	Mozambique	2801
36	Namibia	1250
37	Niger	2308
38	Nigeria	3411
39	Rwanda	5546
40	Senegal	2619
41	Seychelles	2919
42	Sierra Leone	2635
43	Somalia	7359
44	S. Africa	2456
45	Sudan	7006
46	Swaziland	4676
47	Tanzania	2734
48	Togo	2845
49	Tunisia	3993
50	Uganda	3169
51	Zambia	2793
52	Zimbabwe	3812
53	S. Sudan	3620
	Africa Avg	3511
	World Avg	3249
q=53. No data: 820

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₂₁

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

In 2022-3, journalists were found to be under repression notably in several countries: "Burundi, DRC, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Somalia and Zimbabwe"₇.

3.6. Slavery

#burundi #eritrea #france #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery (2018)22
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims22
1	Algeria	0.27
2	Angola	0.72
3	Benin	0.55
4	Botswana	0.34
5	Burkina Faso	0.45
6	Burundi	4.00
7	Cameroon	0.69
8	Cape Verde	0.41
9	Central African Rep.	2.23
10	Chad	1.20
11	Congo, DR	1.37
12	Congo, (Brazzaville)	0.80
13	Ivory Coast	0.59
14	Djibouti	0.71
15	Egypt	0.55
16	Equatorial Guinea	0.64
17	Eritrea	9.30
18	Ethiopia	0.61
19	Gabon	0.48
20	Gambia	0.58
21	Ghana	0.48
22	Guinea	0.78
23	Guinea-Bissau	0.75
24	Kenya	0.69
25	Lesotho	0.42
26	Liberia	0.74
27	Libya	0.77
28	Madagascar	0.75
29	Malawi	0.75
30	Mali	0.36
31	Mauritania	2.14
32	Mauritius	0.10
33	Morocco	0.24
34	Mozambique	0.54
35	Namibia	0.33
36	Niger	0.67
37	Nigeria	0.77
38	Rwanda	1.16
39	Senegal	0.29
40	Sierra Leone	0.50
41	Somalia	1.55
42	S. Africa	0.28
43	Sudan	1.20
44	Swaziland	0.88
45	Tanzania	0.62
46	Togo	0.68
47	Tunisia	0.22
48	Uganda	0.76
49	Zambia	0.57
50	Zimbabwe	0.67
51	S. Sudan	2.05
	Africa Avg	0.96
	World Avg	0.65
q=51. No data: 1023

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₄. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₅. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₆. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₇.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₈. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₉. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₃₀. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₃₁, Eritrea₃₁, Indonesia₃₂) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₃₃.

For more, see:

• "The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

See:

• Religion and Abolition of the Historical Slave Trade

4. Gender Equality

4.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Gender Inequality (2015)34
Pos.		Lower is better34
1	Algeria	0.43
2	Benin	0.61
3	Botswana	0.44
4	Burkina Faso	0.62
5	Burundi	0.47
6	Cameroon	0.57
7	Central African Rep.	0.65
8	Chad	0.69
9	Congo, DR	0.66
10	Congo, (Brazzaville)	0.59
11	Ivory Coast	0.67
12	Egypt	0.57
13	Ethiopia	0.50
14	Gabon	0.54
15	Gambia	0.64
16	Ghana	0.55
17	Kenya	0.56
18	Lesotho	0.55
19	Liberia	0.65
20	Libya	0.17
21	Malawi	0.61
22	Mali	0.69
23	Mauritania	0.63
24	Mauritius	0.38
25	Morocco	0.49
26	Mozambique	0.57
27	Namibia	0.47
28	Niger	0.70
29	Rwanda	0.38
30	Sao Tome & Principe	0.52
31	Senegal	0.52
32	Sierra Leone	0.65
33	S. Africa	0.39
34	Sudan	0.57
35	Swaziland	0.57
36	Tanzania	0.54
37	Togo	0.56
38	Tunisia	0.29
39	Uganda	0.52
40	Zambia	0.53
41	Zimbabwe	0.54
	Africa Avg	0.54
	World Avg	0.36
q=41. No data: 2035

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

In 2022-23, "several countries enacted progressive laws on gender equality" - but it's worth noting that this is relative to a poor start and many fundamental elements of inequality are only slowly being fixed: for example, in Sierra Leone a law was passed to allow women equal rights to own family land₇.

See:

• Gender Equality

4.2. Gender Biases

#gender #gender_equality #prejudice #women

Gender Biases (2022)36
Pos.		Lower is better %36
1	Algeria	98.737
2	Burkina Faso	98.638
3	Egypt	99.639
4	Ethiopia	98.939
5	Ghana	99.037
6	Kenya	95.739
7	Libya	99.739
8	Mali	99.538
9	Morocco	93.739
10	Nigeria	99.539
11	Rwanda	99.137
12	S. Africa	97.137
13	Tunisia	96.839
14	Zambia	97.138
15	Zimbabwe	98.739
	Africa Avg	98.10
	World Avg	83.93
q=15. No data: 4640

The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) looks at gender biases across seven criteria; the % given here is for the total people who are biased across any of those criteria. By subtracting the value from 100%, you can see that those who do well on this index, you are seeing a count of those who do not appear to be biased against women in any of the criteria, and so, doing well on this index is a very positive sign for any country.

The data was included in UN (2022) with full results in Annex table AS6.7.1; their data stems for ranges between 2005 and 2022, depending on the country in question.

See:

• Gender Equality

4.3. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote
Pos.		Lower is better Year
1	Algeria	1962
2	Angola	1975
3	Benin	1956
4	Botswana	1965
5	Burkina Faso	1958
6	Burundi	1961
7	Cameroon	1946
8	Cape Verde	1975
9	Central African Rep.	1986
10	Chad	1958
11	Comoros	1956
12	Congo, DR	1970
13	Congo, (Brazzaville)	1970
14	Ivory Coast	1952
15	Djibouti	1986
16	Egypt	1956
17	Equatorial Guinea	1963
18	Eritrea	1955
19	Ethiopia	1955
20	Gabon	1956
21	Gambia	1960
22	Ghana	1954
23	Guinea	1958
24	Guinea-Bissau	1977
25	Kenya	1963
26	Lesotho	1965
27	Liberia	1946
28	Libya	1964
29	Madagascar	1959
30	Malawi	1961
31	Mali	1956
32	Mauritania	1961
33	Mauritius	1956
34	Morocco	1963
35	Mozambique	1975
36	Namibia	1989
37	Niger	1948
38	Nigeria	1958
39	Rwanda	1961
40	Sao Tome & Principe	1975
41	Senegal	1945
42	Seychelles	1948
43	Sierra Leone	1961
44	Somalia	1956
45	S. Africa	1930
46	Sudan	1964
47	Swaziland	1968
48	Tanzania	1959
49	Togo	1945
50	Tunisia	1959
51	Uganda	1962
52	Zambia	1962
53	Zimbabwe	1978
	Africa Avg	1961
	World Avg	1930
q=53. No data: 813

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

See:

• Gender Equality

5. Prejudice

5.1. Anti-Semite Opinions

#antisemitism #christianity #germany #indonesia #israel #jordan #judaism #laos #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #philippines #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam

Anti-Semite Opinions (2014)41
Pos.		Lower is better %41
1	Algeria	87
2	Botswana	33
3	Cameroon	35
4	Ivory Coast	22
5	Egypt	75
6	Ghana	15
7	Kenya	35
8	Libya	87
9	Mauritius	44
10	Morocco	80
11	Nigeria	16
12	Senegal	53
13	S. Africa	38
14	Tanzania	12
15	Tunisia	86
16	Uganda	16
	Africa Avg	45.9
	World Avg	36.8
q=16. No data: 4542

Anti-Semitism is the world given to irrational racism against Jews. It is not the same as anti-Judaism (involving arguments against the religion) nor the same as anti-Zionism (arguments against Israel). In history, influential Christian theologians concocted the arguments against Jews that led, very early on, to widespread Christian action against Jews_43,44,45,46. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were widespread violent outbursts against Jews of the most persistent and horrible kind. The Crusades were frequently aimed at them and the feared Spanish Inquisition paid Jews particular attention. The horror of the holocaust instigated by German Nazis in the 1940s was followed (finally) by the era of European human rights and a movement against racism in general.

The places that are the least anti-Semitical are a few countries of south-east Asia (Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) and some of the secular liberal democracies of Europe (Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK). The worst countries for antisemitism are Islamic states of the Middle East₄₇, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews_48,49. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"₅₀. In 2004 the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia reported on violent anti-Jew crimes in the EU and found that that largest group of perpetrators were young Muslim males₅₁.

For more, see:

• "Anti-Semitism" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

See:

• Anti-Semitism

5.2. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

LGBT Equality (2017)52
Pos.		Higher is better Score52
1	Algeria	-37
2	Angola	-30
3	Benin	1
4	Botswana	-25
5	Burkina Faso	15
6	Burundi	-20
7	Cameroon	-39
8	Cape Verde	25
9	Central African Rep.	20
10	Chad	5
11	Comoros	-30
12	Congo, DR	15
13	Congo, (Brazzaville)	5
14	Ivory Coast	1
15	Djibouti	11
16	Egypt	-27
17	Equatorial Guinea	15
18	Eritrea	-14
19	Ethiopia	-14
20	Gabon	10
21	Gambia	-19
22	Ghana	-25
23	Guinea	-39
24	Guinea-Bissau	20
25	Kenya	-14
26	Lesotho	15
27	Liberia	-20
28	Libya	-42
29	Madagascar	5
30	Malawi	-22
31	Mali	11
32	Mauritania	-32
33	Mauritius	-10
34	Morocco	-42
35	Mozambique	17
36	Namibia	-5
37	Niger	1
38	Nigeria	-22
39	Rwanda	7
40	Sao Tome & Principe	20
41	Senegal	-39
42	Seychelles	25
43	Sierra Leone	-3
44	Somalia	-79
45	S. Africa	78
46	Sudan	-67
47	Swaziland	-14
48	Tanzania	-17
49	Togo	-29
50	Tunisia	-39
51	Uganda	-22
52	Zambia	-15
53	Zimbabwe	-24
54	S. Sudan	-10
	Africa Avg	-10.4
	World Avg	12.6
q=54. No data: 715

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₅₃. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₅₄. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₅₃. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

• "LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

Across Africa, "harassment, arrests and prosecution of LGBTI people [is] common in many countries [and in 2022/23] several countries introduced or considered new measures to criminalize consensual same-sex relations"₇. Homophobic grassroots movements call for death to those suspected of being gay, and in too many places official establishments routinely support, or engage in, violence and discrimination against LGBT folk₇.

See:

• LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?

5.3. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought (2021)55
Pos.		Lower is better55
1	Algeria	4.0
2	Angola	3.7
3	Benin	2.3
4	Botswana	2.3
5	Burkina Faso	1.8
6	Burundi	3.5
7	Cameroon	3.3
8	Cape Verde	2.3
9	Central African Rep.	2.5
10	Chad	3.8
11	Comoros	4.3
12	Congo, DR	4.0
13	Congo, (Brazzaville)	1.5
14	Ivory Coast	3.0
15	Djibouti	3.3
16	Egypt	4.5
17	Equatorial Guinea	3.5
18	Eritrea	4.5
19	Ethiopia	3.3
20	Gabon	2.0
21	Gambia	2.8
22	Ghana	3.3
23	Guinea	3.5
24	Guinea-Bissau	1.7
25	Kenya	2.5
26	Lesotho	3.0
27	Liberia	3.3
28	Libya	4.0
29	Madagascar	3.3
30	Malawi	3.3
31	Mali	2.5
32	Mauritania	4.8
33	Mauritius	2.8
34	Morocco	4.5
35	Mozambique	1.8
36	Namibia	1.8
37	Niger	2.5
38	Nigeria	4.3
39	Rwanda	4.0
40	Sao Tome & Principe	1.3
41	Senegal	2.5
42	Seychelles	2.3
43	Sierra Leone	2.0
44	Somalia	4.5
45	S. Africa	1.7
46	Sudan	4.8
47	Swaziland	3.8
48	Tanzania	3.5
49	Togo	3.5
50	Tunisia	4.0
51	Uganda	3.0
52	Zambia	3.3
53	Zimbabwe	3.8
54	S. Sudan	2.0
	Africa Avg	3.1
	World Avg	3.0
q=54. No data: 715

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₅₆. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₅₇. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₅₈ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₅₉. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₆₀. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands_55,61 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia_55,62.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₆₃. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₅₇, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₆₄ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₆₅ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

• "Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).

See:

• Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion

6. Things are Getting Better

#chad #libya #senegal

Things are changing for the better:

“One of the most encouraging responses to anti-rights autocrats could be found in Africa. [...] Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh lost a free and fair election to Adama Barrow, and when he refused to accept the results, was eased out of office by the threat of West African troops. [...] As recently as a year ago, many African leaders, some with blood on their hands and fearing prosecution, were plotting a mass exodus of their countries from membership in the International Criminal Court. Using populist rhetoric against what they claimed was neo-colonialism, they sought to portray the ICC as anti-African. [...] An outpouring of popular support for the ICC by civic groups across Africa helped to persuade most African governments to continue to stand behind the court. [...]

Responding in large part to the campaigning of women's rights activists, three Middle Eastern and North African states-Tunisia, Jordan, and Lebanon-repealed provisions in their penal codes that allowed rapists to escape punishment by marrying their victims.”

"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₅

“In 2016 May, Hissene Habre, Chad's ex-dictator, has been convicted in a court in Senegal, found guilty of war crimes against humanity, of rape and of torture. The Economist reports this as a potential game-changer - the first time a African national court has unilaterally tried a foreign dictator, setting a precedence for African human rights law. 'Perhaps 40,000 people died in Chad during Mr Habré's reign of terror between 1982 and 1990. Armed by America (and supported with hundreds of millions of dollars in aid because of his opposition to Muammar Qadaffi's regime in Libya), his political police crushed any tribe they deemed a threat to his rule. [...] This is a landmark for African justice, and a coup for the victims who have pursued it with help from Human Rights Watch, a watchdog.”

The Economist (2016)₄

Such developments do have a bit of history, albeit a weak one.

“A regional human rights regime also operates in Africa, based on the 1981 African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. It is substantively much weaker than its European and American counterparts. Nonetheless, it is of great regional symbolic significance and has provided considerable encouragement and support to national activists. The norms in the African Charter are riddled with clawback clauses that weaken the protections. For example, Article 6 states, No one may be deprived of his freedom except for reasons and conditions previously laid down by law. In other words, so long as a government bothers to pass a law first it can deprive people of their freedom for pretty much any reason it chooses. [...] The institutions for monitoring and enforcement are extremely weak. [...]

Despite all these limitations, the African Commission is a leading regional voice for human rights. Its meetings provide the occasion for valuable networking by NGOs from across the continent. Its activities have helped to socialize African states to the idea that their human rights practices are legitimately subject to regional scrutiny - a not insignificant achievement given the radical notions of sovereignty and nonintervention that dominated the continent in the 1970s and 1980s. And, whatever the current shortcoming, there is an infrastructure in place that African states can build on in the future.”

"Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice" by Jack Donnelly (2013)₆₆

7. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in Africa

The International Criminal Court finds itself most active in Africa.

“The ICC, which was created in 2002, is a permanent tribunal that provides individual criminal liability for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. [...] In 2011 the ICC dealt with situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (involving four cases against five individuals), the Central African Republic (one case against one individual), Uganda (one case against four individuals), the Darfur region of Sudan (four cases against six individuals, including the sitting president of the country), Kenya (one case against three individuals), Libya (one case against two individuals), and Cote D'Ivoire (one case against the former president). This is a reasonable sampling of major cases in recent years and the fact that national leaders have been charged is of considerable significance.”

"Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice" by Jack Donnelly (2013)₆₇

It seems to some commentators that the ICC is exclusively concerned with Africa to an extent that is undue and even biased. Arguments have been made that its existence is slowing the progress of the African Union to develop continental procedures of its own. But, ultimately, the ICC only ever manages to engage with very small numbers of cases, and it seems that a local body can, and should, be developed to take on the rest.₆₈