Burkina Faso’s transitional government is to submit a new Personal and Family Code (CPF) to parliament, making homosexuality a criminal offence and, among other things, registering customary and religious marriages in the civil register.
Homosexuality is prohibited and punished in Burkina Faso, according to the draft Individual and Family Code adopted by the government at the Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday 10 July 2024.
“From now on, homosexuality and related practices are prohibited and punishable by law,” said justice minister Rodrigue Bayala.
The new code also proposes to recognise customary and religious marriages by recording them in the civil register.
“There are conditions under which these marriages will be transcribed into the civil register, and from now on they will have the same effects and the same consequences as civil marriages currently celebrated at civil status level,” the minister explained.
The age of maturity has been reduced from 20 to 18. As a result, the age of marriage is also set at 18, “but exceptionally at 16 with the judge’s authorisation,” Minister Bayala said.
Another change contained in the CPF draft concerns the loss and forfeiture of Burkina Faso nationality.
Behaving and acting against the interests of Burkina Faso is a cause for the forfeiture of Burkinabe nationality.
This forfeiture does not concern and has no effect on the children and spouses of those stripped of nationality,” Minister Bayala added.
The new CPF now imposes a minimum period of five years for the acquisition of nationality for foreigners who marry Burkinabè nationals.
According to Rodrigue Bayala, the changes introduced in the new code take into account “the socio-cultural realities, habits and customs of our country.”
Ds/Sf/ac/fss/as/APA