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The Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database is a repository of gender equality related provisions in 194 constitutions from around the world. The Database was updated in partnership with the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and with support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the Government of Japan. Experience its wealth and depth of information by starting your search now.
Customary Law
- EnglishGuatemala is formed by diverse ethnic groups among which are found the indigenous groups of Mayan descent. The State recognizes, respects, and promotes their forms of life, customs, traditions, forms of social organization, the use of the indigenous attire by men and women, [and their] languages and dialects. (Art. 66)
- SpanishGuatemala está formada por diversos grupos étnicos entre los que figuran los grupos indígenas de ascendencia maya. El Estado reconoce, respeta y promueve sus formas de vida, costumbres, tradiciones, formas de organización social, el uso del traje indígena en hombres y mujeres, idiomas y dialectos. (Art. 66)
Customary Law
- EnglishThe following is the law of succession to hereditary estates and titles:
Children lawfully born in wedlock only may inherit and the eldest male child shall succeed and the heirs of his body but if he have no descendants then the second male child and the heirs of his body and so on until all the male line is ended. Should there be no male child the eldest female child shall succeed and the heirs of her body and if she should have no descendants the second female child and the heirs of her body and so on until the female line is ended. And failing direct heirs the property shall revert to the eldest brother of the owner of the property beginning with the eldest and his heirs in succession to the youngest and their heirs in accordance with the law of inheritance. And if the brothers have no descendants it shall descend to the eldest sister and the female line as provided in the case of the male line. And if these should have no descendants and there should be no legitimate heir it shall revert to the Crown in accordance with the one hundred and twelfth clause. But should a female be next in succession to the title of a noble or of a hereditary chief the next male heir shall inherit the title and estates. But should such female afterwards have a legitimate male issue the title and estates shall revert to the male issue of the female upon the death of the male in possession of the estate:
Provided that the female that is the heir shall occupy the town allotment and the plantation lands appertaining to such title but the hereditary estates that is the lands occupied by the people shall be held by the inheritor of the title. …
And whereas by Tongan custom the noble Niukapu forms part of the 'Ulutolu line, now therefore it is decreed that in the event the holder of the estate and title of Niukapu is not a descendant by blood of the original Niukapu before 1875, such estate and title shall revert at the death of such holder to a descendant by blood of the Niukapu line. (Clause 111) - TonganKo eni ‘a e lao ‘o e hokohoko ki he ngaahi tofi‘a mo e ngaahi hingoa tukufakaholo:
‘E ngofua ke kau ‘i he hokohoko ni ‘a e fanau tupu mali pe ‘e hoko ki he ‘uluaki tamasi‘i tangata mo e ngaahi ‘ea ‘o hono sino pea ka hala ia ‘o ‘ikai hano hako ‘e hoko ki hono ua ‘o e tamasi‘i tangata mo e ngaahi ‘ea ‘o hono sino pea fai pehe kae ‘oua kuo ‘osi ‘a e fanau tangata. Ka ‘ikai ha tamasi‘i tangata ‘e hoko ki he ‘uluaki tamasi‘i fefine mo e ngaahi ‘ea ‘o hono sino pea fai pehe kae ‘oua kuo ‘osi ‘a e fanau fefine. Ka hala ia ‘o ‘ikai ha hako ‘e foki ki he ngaahi tokoua tangata ‘o ia ‘a ia na‘e ‘o‘ona ‘a e tofi‘a pea fai mei he ‘uluaki ‘o a‘u ki he ki mui pea mo honau hako ‘o hange ko e lao ‘o e hokohoko. Pea ka hala ‘a e ngaahi tokoua tangata pea ka ‘ikai ha taha tonu tupu mali ‘iate kinautolu ‘e foki ki he Pule‘anga ‘o hange ko hono teau ma hongofulu ma ua ‘o e kupu. Pea koe‘uhi na‘a faifai pea hoko ha fefine ko e ‘ea ki ha hingoa ‘o ha nopele pea ka pehe ‘e hoko ‘a e tangata ‘oku hoko ki he fefine ‘o ma‘u ‘a e hingoa mo e lakanga ko ia pea ka faifai pea ma‘u ha hako tangata ‘e he fefine ko ia pea ka pekia ‘a e tangata na‘e ma‘u ‘a e hingoa ‘e toki foki ki he hako ‘o e fefine ko ia:
Pea ‘e ‘i he fefine ko e ‘ea ‘a e tofi‘a tukufakaholo ‘a e ‘api kolo mo e ‘api ‘i ‘uta ka ko e tofi‘a lahi ‘oku nofo ai ‘a e kakai ‘e ma‘u ‘e he tangata ‘e ma‘u ‘a e hingoa ko ia.Koe‘uhi ‘i he anga faka-Tonga na‘e fa‘a ngaue‘aki ma‘u ha ngofua ke lava ha tamasi‘i ohi ‘o hoko ki ha ngaahi tofi‘a mo ha ngaahi hingoa ‘o ‘ene tamai- ‘i-he-ohi ko ia ai ‘oku tu‘utu‘uni mamafa heni ka pekia ha taha ‘oku ne ma‘u ha tofi‘a pe hingoa ‘a ia ko ‘ene ma‘u ‘a e tofi‘a pe hingoa ko ia koe‘uhi ko e hako ia ‘i he toto ‘o e tamasi‘i ohi ko ia kuo pau ke foki ‘a e tofi‘a mo e hingoa ko ia ‘o hange ko e ngaahi tu‘utu‘uni ‘a e kupu ni pea kapau ‘oku ‘ikai ha hako ‘i he toto pehe ‘oku kei mo‘ui ‘oku pau ke ngaue‘aki ‘a e ngaahi tu‘utu‘uni ‘a e kupu ‘oku hoko leva mai pe ki heni.
Pea koe‘uhi ko e fatungamotu‘a ‘o Tonga ‘oku kau ai ‘a e Nopele Niukapu ki he laine ‘o e ‘Ulutolu, ko ia ‘oku tu‘utu‘uni ai heni ka hoko ‘o ma‘u ‘a e tofi‘a tukufakaholo mo e hingoa ‘o e Niukapu ‘e ha taha ‘oku ‘ikai ko ha hako ‘i he toto ‘o e ‘uluaki Niukapu ki mu‘a ‘i he 1875, kuo pau ke foki ‘a e tofi‘a tukufakaholo mo e hingoa ko ia ‘i ha pekia ‘a e taha ‘oku ne ma‘u ki ha hako ‘i he toto ‘o e laine Niukapu. (Kupu 111)
Customary Law
- English
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The State promotes and protects the cultural patrimony as well as the habits and customs which are not contrary to public order and morality. (Art. 24) - French
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L’Etat promeut et protège le patrimoine culturel ainsi que les us et coutumes qui ne sont pas contraires à l’ordre public et aux bonnes mœurs. (Art. 24)
Customary Law
- English
(1) In exercising his powers under the foregoing provisions of this Chapter11 in respect of appointments to the offices of Justices of the Supreme court and Justices of the Court of Appeal, the President shall have regard to the need to ensure that there are among the holders of such offices persons learned in Islamic personal law and persons learned in Customary law.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section –
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(b) a person shall be deemed to be learned in Customary law if he is a legal practitioner in Nigeria and has been so qualified for a period of not less than fifteen years in the case of a Justice of the Supreme Court or not less than twelve years in the case of a Justice of the Court of Appeal and has in either case and in the opinion of the National Judicial Council considerable knowledge of and experience in the practice of Customary law. (Sec. 288)
Customary Law
- EnglishI. Each public authority or person shall obey the decisions of the rural native indigenous jurisdiction.
II. To secure compliance with the decisions of the rural native indigenous jurisdiction, its authorities may request the support of the competent bodies of the State.
III. The State shall promote and strengthen rural native indigenous justice. The law of Jurisdictional Demarcation shall determine the mechanisms of coordination and cooperation between rural native indigenous jurisdiction and ordinary jurisdiction and agro-environmental jurisdiction and all the recognized constitutional jurisdictions. (Art. 192) - SpanishI. Toda autoridad pública o persona acatará las decisiones de la jurisdicción indígena originaria campesina.
II. Para el cumplimiento de las decisiones de la jurisdicción indígena originario campesina, sus autoridades podrán solicitar el apoyo de los órganos competentes del Estado.
III. El Estado promoverá y fortalecerá la justicia indígena originaria campesina. La Ley de Deslinde Jurisdiccional, determinará los mecanismos de coordinación y cooperación entre la jurisdicción indígena originaria campesina con la jurisdicción ordinaria y la jurisdicción agroambiental y todas las jurisdicciones constitucionalmente reconocidas. (Art. 192)
Customary Law
- English
Indians shall have their social organization, customs, languages, creeds and traditions recognized, as well as their original rights to the lands they traditionally occupy, it being incumbent upon the Union to demarcate them, protect and ensure respect for all of their property.
Paragraph 1. Lands traditionally occupied by Indians are those on which they live on a permanent basis, those used for their productive activities, those indispensable to the preservation of the environmental resources necessary for their well-being and for their physical and cultural reproduction, according to their uses, customs and traditions.
… (Art. 231) - Portuguese
São reconhecidos aos índios sua organização social, costumes, línguas, crenças e tradições, e os direitos originários sobre as terras que tradicionalmente ocupam, competindo à União demarcá-las, proteger e fazer respeitar todos os seus bens.
§ 1º São terras tradicionalmente ocupadas pelos índios as por eles habitadas em caráter permanente, as utilizadas para suas atividades produtivas, as imprescindíveis à preservação dos recursos ambientais necessários a seu bem-estar e as necessárias a sua reprodução física e cultural, segundo seus usos, costumes e tradições.
... (Art. 231)
Customary Law
- English(1) Subject to the provisions of subsections (4), (5) and (7) of this section, no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect.
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(3) In this section, the expression “discriminatory” means affording different treatment to different persons, attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, tribe, place of origin, political opinions, colour, creed or sex whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description are not made subject or are accorded privileges or advantages which are not accorded to persons of another such description.
(4) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to any law so far as that law makes provision-
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(c) with respect to adoption, marriage, divorce, burial, devolution of property on death or other matters of personal law;
(d) for the application in the case of members of a particular race, community or tribe of customary law with respect to any matter whether to the exclusion of any law in respect to that matter which is applicable in the case of other persons or not;
… (Sec. 15)
Customary Law
- English1. Subject to the provisions of subsections (4) and (5) no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect.
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3. In this section, the expression “discriminatory” means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description are not made subject or are accorded privileges or advantages which are not accorded to persons of another such description.
4. Subsection (1) shall not apply to any law to the extent that that law makes provision—
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b. for the application, in the case of persons of any such description as is mentioned in subsection (3) (or of persons connected with such persons), of the law with respect to adoption, marriage, divorce, burial, devolution of property on death or other like matters which is the personal law of persons of that description;
c. for the application of the customary law of Lesotho with respect to any matter in the case of persons who, under that law, are subject to that law;
… (Sec. 18)
Customary Law
- English
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"the Falekaupule” means the traditional governing assembly in each island of Tuvalu which is composed in accordance with the aganu (i.e., the traditional local customs and usages) of each island and established under section 4 of the Falekaupule Act 1997;
... (Schedule 1, Sec. 1)
Customary Law
- EnglishIn this Constitution, unless the context otherwise requires—
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• “chief” means a person bestowed as chief and who derives allegiance from the fact of birth or descent, in accordance with the customs, traditions, usage or consent of the people in a chiefdom;
... (Art. 266)