Benin. English. |
Benin
International Religious Freedom Report 2003
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor
There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report, and government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious freedom.
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has a total land area of 42,711 square miles, and its population in 2000 was 6,396,591. Reliable statistics on religious affiliation are not available; however, according to recent estimates, approximately 30 percent of the population nominally are Christian, and approximately 20 percent nominally are Muslim. The remaining 50 percent of the population adheres to some form of traditional indigenous religion. Many persons who nominally identify themselves as Christian or Muslim also practice traditional indigenous religions. Among the most commonly practiced traditional indigenous religions is the animist "vodoun" system of beliefs. Almost all citizens appear to be believers of a supernatural order. There are practically no atheists.
More than half of all Christians are Roman Catholics. Other groups include members of the Baptist, Methodist, Assembly of God, Pentecostal, the Church of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Celestial Christians, Seventh-Day Adventists, Rosicrucian, the Unification Church, Eckankar, and the Baha'i Faiths. Nearly all Muslims adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam. The few Shi'a Muslims primarily are Middle Eastern expatriates.
There are Christians, Muslims, and adherents of traditional indigenous religions throughout the country. However, most adherents of the traditional Yoruba religion are in the south, while other traditional indigenous faiths are followed in the north. Muslims are represented most heavily in the north and in the southeast. Christians are prevalent in the south, particularly in Cotonou, the economic capital. It is not unusual for different members of the same family to practice Christianity, Islam, traditional indigenous religions, or a combination of any or all of these. Foreign missionary groups known to be operating in the country include the Watchtower Society, Adventist Frontier Missions, Society in Mission (SIM), and the Evangelical Baptist Mission.
Section II. Status of Religious Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The Government at all levels strives to protect this right in full, and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state-sponsored religion.
On May 31, 2002, the Constitutional Court ruled that persons whose constitutionally-protected human rights have been violated by "cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment" may claim compensatory damages. At the end of the period covered by this report, several cases involving religious freedom were pending before the court, including a case in which a group of traditional religious adherents were alleged to have prevented Christians from traveling through their village to attend church services. The court ruled in this case that it is unconstitutional to block the access of any group from religious services.
Persons who wish to form a religious group must register with the Ministry of the Interior. Registration requirements are identical for all religious groups, and there were no reports that any group had been refused permission to register or had been subjected to unusual delays or obstacles in the registration process. Religious groups are free from taxation. The Government accords respect to prominent religious leaders and different faiths.
Missionary groups operate freely throughout the country.
In accordance with Article 2 of the Constitution, which provides for a secular state, public schools are not authorized to provide religious instruction.
One indigenous, three Muslim, and six Christian holidays are observed officially: Traditional Religions Day, Ramadan, Tabaski, Maouloud, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Assumption Day, All Saints Day, and Christmas.
State-run television features coverage of the celebration of religious holidays and special events in the lives of prominent religious leaders, including ordination anniversaries and funerals.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free practice of religion.
There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States.
Section III. Societal Attitudes
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious tolerance at all levels of society. Religious tolerance is widespread at all levels of society and in all geographic regions.
Interfaith dialog occurs regularly, and citizens respect different religious traditions and practices, including syncretistic beliefs.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights.
| The World Factbook 2002 | ||
| Benin | 
|
|
 |
| Introduction | Benin |
| Background: |
Dahomey gained its independence from France in 1960; the name was changed to Benin in 1975. From 1974 to 1989 the country was a socialist state; free elections were reestablished in 1991. |
| Geography | Benin |
| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
9 30 N, 2 15 E |
| Map
references: |
Africa |
| Area: |
total: 112,620 sq
km water: 2,000 sq km land: 110,620 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 1,989 km border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km |
| Coastline: |
121 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
territorial sea: 200 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north |
| Terrain: |
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic
Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m |
| Natural
resources: |
small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 15.28%
permanent crops: 1.36% other: 83.36% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
120 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March |
| Environment
- current issues: |
inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography
- note: |
sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands |
| People | Benin |
| Population: |
6,787,625 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 47.2%
(male 1,616,138; female 1,585,463) 15-64 years: 50.5% (male 1,665,439; female 1,764,966) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 65,877; female 89,742) (2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.91% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
43.66 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
14.52 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
88.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
49.69 years female: 50.61 years (2002 est.) male: 48.81 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
6.14 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
4.1% (2002) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
160,000 (2002) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
37,000 (2002) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Beninese (singular
and plural) adjective: Beninese |
| Ethnic
groups: |
African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 |
| Religions: |
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% |
| Languages: |
French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15
and over can read and write total population: 37.5% male: 52.2% female: 23.6% (2000) |
| Government | Benin |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of Benin conventional short form: Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey local long form: Republique du Benin |
| Government
type: |
republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms adopted February 1990; transition to multiparty system completed 4 April 1991 |
| Capital: |
Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government |
| Administrative
divisions: |
12 provinces; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou |
| Independence: |
1 August 1960 (from France) |
| National
holiday: |
National Day, 1 August (1960) |
| Constitution: |
December 1990 |
| Legal
system: |
based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state: President
Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government head of government: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; runoff election held 22 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006) note: the four top-ranking contenders following the first-round presidential elections were: Mathieu KEREKOU (incumbent) 45.4%, Nicephore SOGOLO (former president) 27.1%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI (National Assembly Speaker) 12.6%, and Bruno AMOUSSOU (Minister of State) 8.6%; the second-round balloting, originally scheduled for 18 March 2001, was postponed four days because both SOGOLO and HOUNGBEDJI withdrew alleging electoral fraud; this left KEREKOU to run against his own Minister of State, AMOUSSOU, in what was termed a "friendly match" election results: Mathieu KEREKOU reelected president; percent of vote - Mathieu KEREKOU 84.1%, Bruno AMOUSSOU 15.9% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral National Assembly
or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular
vote to serve four-year terms) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEP 6, Alliance E'toile 4, IPD 4, other 12 elections: last held 30 March 1999 (next to be held 30 March 2003) |
| Judicial
branch: |
Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
African Movement for Democracy
and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance of the Social Democratic
Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien
HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA [Saka SALEY];
Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Bertin BORNA]; Movement for
Citizens' Commitment and Awakening or MERCI [Severin ADJOVI]; Renaissance
Party du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile)
[Sacca LAFIA] note: approximately 20 additional minor parties; the Coalition of Democratic Forces, [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI], an alliance of parties and organizations supporting President KEREKOU |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656 chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Pamela E. BRIDGEWATER embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou telephone: [229] 30-06-50 FAX: [229] 30-06-70 |
| Flag
description: |
two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side |
| Economy | Benin |
| Economy
- overview: |
The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output averaged a stable 5% in the past five years, but rapid population rise offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $6.8 billion (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5.4% (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $1,040 (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 36%
industry: 14% services: 50% (2001 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
37% (2001 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3% (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
NA |
| Unemployment
rate: |
NA% |
| Budget: |
revenues: $377.4
million expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001) |
| Industries: |
textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001) |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
8.3% (2001 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
240 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 17%
hydro: 83% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
523.2 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
300 million kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) |
| Exports: |
$35.3 million f.o.b. (2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa |
| Exports
- partners: |
Brazil, France, Indonesia, Thailand, Morocco, Portugal, Cote d'Ivoire (2001) |
| Imports: |
$437.6 million c.i.f. (2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products |
| Imports
- partners: |
France, US, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Netherlands, Japan (2001) |
| Debt
- external: |
$1.18 billion (2000) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$342.6 million (2000) |
| Currency: |
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States |
| Currency
code: |
XOF |
| Exchange
rates: |
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Communications | Benin |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
51,000 (2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
55,500 (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
NA domestic: fair system of open wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); submarine cable |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) |
| Radios: |
660,000 (2000) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (2001) |
| Televisions: |
66,000 (2000) |
| Internet
country code: |
.bj |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
4 (2002) |
| Internet
users: |
25,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Benin |
| Railways: |
total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.) |
| Highways: |
total: 6,787 km paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,430 km (1997 est.) |
| Waterways: |
streams navigable along small sections, important only locally |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Cotonou, Porto-Novo |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2002 est.) |
| Airports: |
5 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002) |
| Military | Benin |
| Military
branches: |
Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
1,509,760 note: both sexes are liable for military service (2002 est.) females age 15-49: 1,536,036 |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
771,373 females age 15-49: 778,730 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 71,278 females: 70,088 (2002 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$27 million (FY96) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.2% (FY96) |
| Transnational Issues | Benin |
| Disputes
- international: |
Benin and Niger have refered to the ICJ the dispute over l'Ete and 14 smaller disputed islands in the Niger River, which has never been delimited; with Nigeria, several villages are in dispute along the Okpara River and only 35 km of the 436 km boundary are demarcated; the Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint remains undemarcated; Benin accuses Togo of moving boundary markers and stationing troops in its territory; two villages are in dispute with Burkina Faso |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly regulated financial infrastructure |
Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003
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