Romantic relationship in Niger

Niger has no single national institution that governs romantic relationships as a whole. Informal courtship is the main pathway before marriage, and no reliable nationwide standard for dating applications, matchmaking services or couples counselling has been established. Common local terms include mariage, mariage coutumier, dot or dowry, and répudiation. A marriage may be registered civilly, concluded through customary practice in a mosque or parents' home, or arranged through religious and family channels. Family and community involvement can be substantial, and rejection of a family-arranged marriage, a relationship outside accepted norms or a pregnancy outside marriage may lead to social sanctions. Legal pluralism means that statutory law operates alongside customary and religious rules. Civil Code Article 146 requires personal consent to marriage, but customary practice may involve consent from parents or other family members. Family approval does not replace the individual's free consent. Pressure, violence, economic dependence and family dependence do not establish free consent. A person should not treat a minor's situation as ordinary dating. Civil Code Article 144 records a marriageable age of 18 for men and 15 for women; United Nations recommendations in 2026 called for 18 as the minimum age for everyone, but that change should not be treated as completed. Child marriage remains highly relevant: UNICEF reported that 76.3% of women aged 20 to 24 had married or entered a union before 18, and 28% had done so before 15. Marriage is the main formal relationship status with practical consequences for maintenance, property, parentage, custody, inheritance and residence. A non-marital legal partnership has no reliably established nationwide status, and an informal partnership generally has little standardized legal effect. The result can change with the form of marriage, customary rules, religion, gender, document status, the place where the couple lives and the authority or court handling the matter. A uniform Family Code has not been reliably established. Act 2018-37 and customary rules are relevant to marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance; one reported rule gives a woman's custom priority when it conflicts with her husband's custom. Reservations concerning equal rights and duties in marriage and separation also affect how family-law protections should be assessed. Civil registration is handled through maires or their deputies and civil registrars, with the Ministry of Interior and the Direction Générale de l'État Civil et de la Réforme involved in the wider system. Registration may require both spouses to appear, proof of age, parents' names, witnesses, identification, a record of the dot or dowry and the chosen matrimonial regime. Secondary registration centres exist in districts, villages and tribal areas. A foreign spouse may need a pathway involving Nigerien civil registration authorities and the foreign ministry. A UNICEF civil-registration profile based on 2016–2017 information recorded a registration period of generally 10 days, immediate issuance of the marriage certificate and no registration fee, but current deadlines, charges and local practice should be checked with the responsible office. The certificate can affect inheritance claims and the registration of a child's birth. Sexual and reproductive health in Niger includes contraception, pregnancy, childbirth, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, care after rape, psychosocial support and responses to gender-based violence. Access is uneven by region, age, gender, displacement, security conditions and the availability of services. In 2020, the adolescent birth rate was 150.3 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, modern family-planning needs were satisfied for 36.9% of women who needed them, and only 7.3% of women were reported to make informed decisions about sexual and reproductive health. UNFPA reported in August 2025 that about 1.6 million women of reproductive age urgently needed sexual and reproductive health services and that 923,660 adolescent girls were particularly vulnerable to early marriage and sexual violence. Violence by a current or former intimate partner is a direct relationship risk. UN Women reported that 12.9% of women aged 15 to 49 had reported physical or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner during the previous 12 months in 2018. Police and UNFPA records listed 3,147 gender-based-violence cases in 2020 and 2,519 cases from January to April 2021 across 106 brigades; these figures are case records, not national prevalence estimates. Protection and justice mechanisms may be ineffective, and rural services may be difficult to reach. In immediate danger, safety takes priority over mediation; the current local health, protection, police, justice or humanitarian referral pathway should be verified. The 2026 Code pénal creates a severe legal and safety risk for same-sex sexual relationships and LGBTQIA+ activity. National reporting describes penalties of five to under ten years of imprisonment and fines of 10 million to 100 million CFA francs for same-sex sexual relationships or related practice, while same-sex unions have no reliably established protective status. Outing, coercion and extortion risks therefore require particular caution, and disclosure should not be treated as safe without a specific assessment of the local situation. Separation and divorce are fragmented rather than governed by one nationwide procedure. The available pathway depends on whether the marriage is valid and registered, which marriage form applies, the relevant customary or religious rules, the woman's custom where relevant, and the competent court or authority. Répudiation is a documented local form of ending a marriage, but its effect on maintenance, custody, inheritance and residence must be checked separately. No reliable nationwide standard duration or cost applies. Legal aid has been reported for divorce, custody, maintenance and survivors of violence, but current local availability is not guaranteed. Transport, documents, court fees, legal assistance and protection costs vary by place and procedure.