Romantic relationship in Chad

Adult romantic relationships in Chad commonly develop through kin and community contacts, religious or customary networks, school and work, urban social contacts, and phone or social media communication. No national registration or formal dating-service pathway has been evidenced. Social expectations can involve family approval, kin negotiation and dowry or bridewealth, while poverty, displacement and insecurity can restrict personal choice. Contact through phones or social media can also create risks of exploitation. Consent must be free and informed. Law 029/2015 prohibits child marriage, and a UNICEF civil-registration profile lists 18 as the legal marriage age for both sexes, although older Civil Code references conflict and enforcement varies. Forced marriage, sale or coercion, trafficking and early unions have been documented; these situations are not consensual romantic relationships. A relationship may remain an informal courtship or cohabiting union, or may become a customary, religious or civil marriage. A civil marriage is recorded through an état civil office, commune, conseil rural or authorized officer. Commonly requested documents include a birth certificate, identification, witnesses, a dowry statement or non-payment agreement, a medical premarital certificate and, where relevant, a matrimonial regime contract that sets property rules. Banns may last 10 to 30 days, and a celebration is often held about two months after the banns, although customary or religious celebrations may follow another timetable. Listed registration fees may be zero, while filing or celebration fees vary by centre and day; registration is not generally reported as compulsory. Marriage can create duties and rights concerning maintenance, property, inheritance, custody, divorce and remarriage, depending on the applicable statutory, customary or religious regime. No general statutory rights or duties for unmarried couples have been evidenced. Formal equality rules coexist with patriarchal, customary and religious practices, and women’s practical position concerning divorce, remarriage, property and inheritance may remain unequal or weakly enforced. Intimate-partner and sexual violence, child and forced marriage and economic dependency create serious safety risks. Assistance may be available through the Ministère en charge de la Femme, de la Protection de la Petite Enfance et de la Solidarité, the Ministère de la Justice, police or gendarmerie, health facilities, social workers, listening centres, customary or religious leaders and United Nations or non-governmental providers. Medical, psychosocial, legal and socioeconomic support is uneven, and distance, insecurity, cost, stigma and weak referrals can limit access. A national gender-based violence database exists, and helpline 1390 was reportedly revitalized in 2024, but provincial availability and safety should be verified. Health centres and non-governmental providers may offer contraception, family planning, sexually transmitted infection and HIV care, and prenatal services. Coverage, supplies, confidentiality and affordability vary. Abortion is not available on request or solely for economic or social reasons according to the available profile; reported legal grounds include rape, incest, fetal impairment and risks to physical or mental health, with current provider practice requiring verification. Penal Code Article 354 criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual conduct, with reported penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 CFA francs. This can expose people to stigma, violence, family coercion, concealment and forced opposite-sex marriage, and no recognized same-sex partnership or marriage pathway has been evidenced. Informal separation is often negotiated by partners, relatives, community members or religious authorities. Divorce for a marriage is available through the applicable statutory, customary or religious forum, but documentation, cost, safety and enforcement vary. Separation of an unmarried couple has no dedicated national procedure evidenced, so custody, support, property and inheritance questions require case-specific legal assessment.