# Human rights in Chad

Human rights in Chad have been described as "poor"; for example, since 1972, Freedom House has designated the country as "Not Free." Chad received a score of 7 for political rights and 6 for civil liberties (with 1 being the most free, 7 being the least free).
According to the U.S. State Department's county report on Chad in 2006, "The government's poor human rights record deteriorated further during the year; security forces committed numerous serious human rights abuses." Among the abuses listed were extrajudicial killings, beatings, torture, and rape by security forces; limits on freedom of speech and the press and freedom of assembly; arbitrary arrest and detention; and widespread corruption. Security forces commit these and other abuses with "near total" impunity.
In their annual report from 2007, Amnesty International emphasized the pervasive nature of sexual violence and discrimination against women resulting from incursions by the Sudanese Janjaweed, stating that "the widespread insecurity in eastern Chad had particularly severe consequences for women, who suffered grave human rights abuses, including rape, during attacks on villages." Female genital mutilation, while technically illegal, is still widely practiced. Harassment of journalists and human rights activists has also been documented, as well as the use of child soldiers by Chadian security forces, by various human rights groups.
Transparency International has ranked Chad as one of the most corrupt nations in the world. In 2007, it scored 1.8 out of 10 on the Corruption Perceptions Index (with 10 being the least corrupt). Only Tonga, Uzbekistan, Haiti, Iraq, Myanmar, and Somalia scored lower. Critics of former President Idriss Déby accused him of cronyism and favoring his own tribe, the Zaghawa. Déby's re-election in May 2006—in which he won a third term—was boycotted by the opposition, who denounced the results as fraudulent. The previous election, in 2001, was similarly viewed as fraudulent by the opposition parties, although a team of foreign observers said that polling had taken place "without major problems or intimidation".

## Historical situation

The following chart shows Chad's ratings since 1972 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "most free" and 7 is "least free".
Historical ratings :
| Year | Political Rights | Civil Liberties | Status | President |
| 1972 | 6 | 7 | Not Free | N’Garta Tombalbaye |
| 1973 | 6 | 7 | Not Free | N'Garta Tombalbaye |
| 1974 | 6 | 7 | Not Free | N'Garta Tombalbaye |
| 1975 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | N'Garta Tombalbaye |
| 1976 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Félix Malloum N'Gakoutou |
| 1977 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Félix Malloum N'Gakoutou |
| 1978 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Félix Malloum N'Gakoutou |
| 1979 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Félix Malloum N'Gakoutou |
| 1980 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Goukouni Oueddei |
| 1981 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Goukouni Oueddei |
| 1982 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Goukouni Oueddei |
| 1983 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Hissène Habré |
| 1984 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Hissène Habré |
| 1985 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Hissène Habré |
| 1986 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Hissène Habré |
| 1987 | 6 | 7 | Not Free | Hissène Habré |
| 1988 | 6 | 7 | Not Free | Hissène Habré |
| 1989 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Hissène Habré |
| 1990 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Hissène Habré |
| 1991 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 1992 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 1993 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 1994 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 1995 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 1996 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 1997 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 1998 | 6 | 4 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 1999 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2000 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2001 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2002 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2003 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2004 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2005 | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2006 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2007 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2008 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2009 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2010 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2011 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2012 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2013 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2014 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2015 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2016 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2017 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2018 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2019 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2020 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2021 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Idriss Déby |
| 2022 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Mahamat Déby |
| 2023 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Mahamat Déby |

## International treaties

Chad's stances on international human rights treaties are as follows:
| International treaties |
| Treaty | Organization | Introduced | Signed | Ratified |
| Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide | United Nations | 1948 | — | — |
| International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination | United Nations | 1966 | — | 1977 |
| International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights | United Nations | 1966 | — | 1995 |
| International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights | United Nations | 1966 | — | 1995 |
| First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights | United Nations | 1966 | — | 1995 |
| Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity | United Nations | 1968 | — | — |
| International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid | United Nations | 1973 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women | United Nations | 1979 | | 1995 |
| Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment | United Nations | 1984 | — | 1995 |
| Convention on the Rights of the Child | United Nations | 1989 | 1990 | 1990 |
| Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty | United Nations | 1989 | — | — |
| International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families | United Nations | 1990 | — | — |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women | United Nations | 1999 | — | — |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict | United Nations | 2000 | 2002 | 2002 |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography | United Nations | 2000 | 2002 | 2002 |
| Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities | United Nations | 2006 | — | — |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities | United Nations | 2006 | — | — |
| International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance | United Nations | 2006 | 2007 | — |
| Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights | United Nations | 2008 | — | — |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure | United Nations | 2011 | — | — |