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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.
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English(1) All persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection under the law.
(2) Except as expressly authorised under the provisions of this Constitution, no law and no executive or administrative action of the State shall, either expressly or in its practical application, subject any person or persons to any disability or restriction or confer on any person or persons any privilege or advantage on grounds only of descent, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, social origin, place of birth, family status, or any of them.
(3) Nothing in this Article shall –
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(b) Prevent the making of any provision for the protection or advancement of women or children or of any socially or educationally retarded class of persons.
… (Art. 15) - Samoan(1) E tutusa tagata uma i luma o le tulafono ma e tofu tatau ona maua le puipuiga tutusa i lalo o le tulafono.
(2) Vagana ai e pei ona faatagaina manino e lenei Faavae, e leai se tulafono ma e leai se gaoioiga a le Malo tau le pulega faatonu po o le tausiga o le a, po o lona faamatalaina manino ai pe faatino mai ai se mafatiaga o so o se tagata po o ni tagata i so o se itu e le mafai ai po o le faasaina po o le tuuina atu i so o se tagata po o ni tagata so o se tulaga aloaia po o le tulaga taugamalie ona o le avea ma mafuaaga lona tupuaga, tane pe se fafine, gagana, lotu, taofi tau upu fai o malo po o se isi lava taofi, mafuaaga faale-vafealoai, nuu na fanau ai, tulaga faale-aiga, po o nisi lava o ia mea.
(3) E leai se mea i lenei Mataupu o le a:
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(e) taofia ai o le faia o so o se aiaiga mo le puipuiga po o le faagasologa i luma o fafine po o tamaiti po o le vasega o tagata ua telegese le gasologa i luma o lo latou tulaga tau le vafealoai po o le aoaoina.
… (Mataupu 15)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English…(2) Without derogating from the generality of the foregoing subsection, the women of Eswatini and other marginalized groups have a right to equitable representation in Parliament and other public structures. (Sec. 84)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- EnglishThe direct and active participation in political life by men and women is a condition for and a fundamental instrument in the consolidation of the democratic system, and the law must promote both equality in the exercise of civic and political rights and the absence of gender-based discrimination in access to political office. (Art. 109)
- PortugueseA participação directa e activa de homens e mulheres na vida política constitui condição e instrumento fundamental de consolidação do sistema democrático, devendo a lei promover a igualdade no exercício dos direitos cívicos e políticos e a não discriminação em função do sexo no acesso a cargos políticos. (Art. 109)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English...
(2) Nothing contained in Article 10 hereof shall prevent Parliament from enacting legislation providing directly or indirectly for the advancement of persons within Namibia who have been socially, economically or educationally disadvantaged by past discriminatory laws or practices, or for the implementation of policies and programmes aimed at redressing social, economic or educational imbalances in the Namibian society arising out of discriminatory laws or practices, or for achieving a balanced structuring of the public service, the defence force, the police force, and the correctional service.
(3) In the enactment of legislation and the application of any policies and practices contemplated by Sub-Article (2) hereof, it shall be permissible to have regard to the fact that women in Namibia have traditionally suffered special discrimination and that they need to be encouraged and enabled to play a full, equal and effective role in the political, social, economic and cultural life of the nation. (Art. 23)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English
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(4) In appointing Ministers and Deputy Ministers, the President must be guided by considerations of regional and gender balance.
… (Sec. 104)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- EnglishThe elections of the Deputies take place following the ballot of bloc lists [listes bloquées] by proportional representation. These lists must have a multi-ethnic character and take into account the equilibrium between men and women. For three candidates registered together [inscrits à la suite] on a list, only two may belong to the same ethnic group, and at least one in three must be a woman. (Art. 173)
- KirundiAmatora y’abashingamateka ashingira ku rutonde rwugaye rw’amazina rwashikirijwe, bagatorwa hisunzwe amajwi baronse. Urutonde rwose rw’ayo mazina rutegerezwa kurangwa n’uko amoko yose yaserukiwe kandi hakaba harimwo abagabo n’abakenyezi. Ku bitoza batatu bari ku rutonde rumwe, babiri gusa ni bo baba basangiye ubwoko kandi n’imiburiburi umwe kuri batatu ategerezwa kuba ari umugore. (Ingingo ya 173)
- FrenchLes élections des députés se déroulement suivant le scrutin des listes bloquées à la représentation proportionnelle. Ces listes doivent avoir un caractère multiethnique et tenir compte de l’équilibre entre les hommes et les femmes. Pour trois candidats inscrits à la suite sur une liste, deux seulement peuvent appartenir au même groupe ethnique, et au moins un sur trois doit être une femme. (Art. 173)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English1. All persons are equal before and under the law in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life and in every other respect and shall enjoy equal protection of the law.
2. Without prejudice to clause (l) of this article, a person shall not be discriminated against on the ground of sex, race, colour, ethnic origin, tribe, birth, creed or religion, social or economic standing, political opinion or disability.
3. For the purposes of this article, “discriminate” means to give different treatment to different persons attributable only or mainly to their respective descriptions by sex, race, colour, ethnic origin, tribe, birth, creed or religion, social or economic standing, political opinion or disability.
4. Nothing in this article shall prevent Parliament from enacting laws that are necessary for-
a. implementing policies and programmes aimed at redressing social, economic, educational or other imbalance in society;
b. making such provision as is required or authorised to be made under this Constitution; or
… (Art. 21)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English…
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the aboriginal and treaty rights referred to in subsection (1) are guaranteed equally to male and female persons. (Constitution Act 1982, Sec. 35) - French…
(4) Indépendamment de toute autre disposition de la présente loi, les droits — ancestraux ou issus de traités — visés au paragraphe (1) sont garantis également aux personnes des deux sexes. (Loi constitutionnelle de 1982, Sec. 35)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English
The Mayor, the Vice Mayor, and the Concejales [Aldermen] will be elected by the People through universal, equal, direct, free, and secret suffrage, in accordance with the law. Those candidates who have obtained the relative majority of the votes will be elected Mayor and Vice Mayor, the Concejales will be elected by proportional representation, in accordance with the electoral quotient. The term [periodo] of the municipal authorities will be of five years, counted from the taking possession of the office before the Supreme Electoral Council.
The binomial [binomio] Mayor and Vice Mayor must be formulated under the principle of equality of gender in the exercise of the Local Power, being that one of them must be a woman and the other, [a] man, keeping the proportionality between both genders. The political parties and electoral alliances must present in their list of candidates for Mayor, Vice Mayor and Concejales, fifty percent of men and fifty percent of women.
... (Art. 178) - Spanish
El Alcalde, el Vicealcalde y los Concejales serán elegidos por el pueblo mediante el sufragio universal, igual, directo, libre y secreto, de conformidad con la ley. Serán electos Alcalde y Vicealcalde los candidatos que tengan la mayoría relativa de los votos, los Concejales serán electos por representación proporcional, de acuerdo con el cociente electoral. El período de las autoridades municipales será de cinco años, contados a partir de la toma de posesión del cargo ante el Consejo Supremo Electoral.
El binomio de Alcalde y Vicealcalde debe formularse bajo el principio de igualdad y equidad de género en el ejercicio del Poder Local, siendo que uno de ellos debe ser mujer y el otro, hombre, guardando la proporcionalidad entre ambos géneros. Los partidos políticos y alianzas electorales deberán presentar en su lista de candidatos a Alcalde, Vicealcalde y Concejales, un cincuenta por ciento de hombres y un cincuenta por ciento de mujeres.
... (Art. 178)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English
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The man and the woman are equal in law. However, the law may establish special provisions for amelioration of the representation of the people by women.
… (Art. 26) - French
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L'homme et la femme sont égaux en droit. Toutefois, la loi peut fixer des dispositions spéciales d’amélioration de la représentation du peuple par les femmes. ... (Art. 26)