Djibouti signed the Maputo Protocol in December, 2003 and ratified it in February, 2005.
- There has been considerable progress in Djibouti’s efforts to combat gender-basedviolence, spearheaded by the Ministry forthe Advancement of Women, Family Welfare and Social Affairs. Several policies have been targeted towards reducing GBV. One is the National Initiative for Social Development (2008-2012), this policy refers to international conventions, awareness raising campaigns against Violence Against Women (VAW) and FGM/C, and makes the existing laws stronger.
- The law includes sentences of up to 20 years’ imprisonment for rape but does not address spousal rape. The government did not enforce the law effectively. Families of the victim and perpetrator usually settled rape cases using the traditional justice system. Women rarely reported rape cases to law enforcement officials, and reliable statistics were not available. Police rarely intervened in domestic violence incidents, and the media reported only the most extreme cases, usually involving death of the victim.