Family in Central African Republic

The legal family framework includes marriage, parental responsibilities, children’s rights, separation and divorce. The Code de la Famille sets the legal marriage age at 18. A prosecutor of the Republic may grant an age dispensation for serious reasons under the applicable rule. Child marriage remains a major risk: 61% of women aged 20 to 24 were reported to have married or entered a union before age 18 in the 2015–2016 Demographic and Health Survey. Birth registration takes place through a mairie, the municipal office, or an officier d’état civil, the civil-status officer. The father, mother, a relative or a witness may report the birth, normally within one month. A birth certificate is usually issued within 2 to 7 days. The certificate is officially free, although local registration charges may vary. Late registration can require a supplementary court judgment and additional court or legal costs. The document supports identity verification, school admission, inheritance matters and access to social assistance. The Code de Protection de l’Enfant 2020 protects children from violence, abuse and exploitation. The Tribunal pour enfants, social services, civil-status offices, health facilities and humanitarian partners can provide different forms of assistance. Access depends strongly on security, distance, funding and the availability of services in the area. Families affected by displacement, separation, gender-based violence or severe hardship may reach assistance through a mairie, social services, a health facility, a safe space or a partner referral. When a child is separated from relatives or becomes missing, assistance can follow identification, family tracing and reunification. Temporary familles d’accueil provide foster care when returning immediately to the family is not safe or possible. Safe alternative care and social, medical, psychosocial and legal referrals may be combined. A child formerly associated with an armed group should be referred to the nearest civilian child-protection service within 24 hours. Family support and community networks remain the dominant sources of day-to-day care, but they may become less able to help when conflict, poverty, displacement, violence or stigma increase. UNFPA-supported services include family planning, maternal and newborn care, mobile outreach and community engagement. In 2024, 23 health facilities had integrated sexual and reproductive health kits. Family planning is intended to be voluntary and free from discrimination and violence, but the available evidence does not establish that these services are uniformly free or guaranteed throughout the country. Protection risks remain substantial: reported indicators include intimate-partner violence at 26.3% for data covering 2000–2018 and female genital mutilation at 24% for 2018–2020. The Central African Republic has no verified universal family or child allowance in the available national information. A social safety-net project has targeted about 45,000 households in Kaga and Haut-Oubangui with transfers and training, initially through communes that could be reached. This is a project-based measure rather than a nationwide entitlement. Fees and deadlines for divorce, adoption and maintenance require confirmation for the specific case because one reliable nationwide amount or timetable cannot be stated. Proposed or discussed reforms should not be assumed to have changed the applicable Code de la Famille until the current text is confirmed with the competent authority.