Life stages in Togo

A person's legal and practical position changes through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, parenthood, older age, dependency and crisis. In Togo, these transitions are handled by État civil, schools and technical or vocational training, employers, Action sociale, child-protection services, communes, CNSS, health services, families and community organisations. There is no single national system that assigns rights or services solely by life stage. Civil majority begins at 18 under the Code des personnes et de la famille. Births should be reported to État civil within 45 days by a parent, midwife or informed person. Birth certificates have been issued free of charge nationwide since 1 January 2022. They support proof of identity and nationality, school enrolment, access to services and later applications for a CNI or passport. Late registration may require additional administrative or judicial steps. The CNI is valid for five years, while its official cost and processing time depend on the applicable service information. ANID, the e-ID and the NIU add digital identity infrastructure but do not replace the need to verify the specific procedure. The Child Code protection framework covers people under 18. School attendance is compulsory for both sexes until age 15, and the minimum employment age is 15. The worst forms of child labour are prohibited. Around half of Togo's population was under 18 in 2022. Birth registration among children under five reached 86% in 2022, with lower coverage in rural areas. Children can use preschools and schools, social centres, community health workers, communes and local protection committees. Protection cases may involve medical, psychosocial and legal assistance, referral, family reintegration or measures for children in conflict with the law. Early childhood support is increasingly organised around the first 2,000 days, combining nutrition, early learning, protection, civil registration and preparation for school. Families, communes and community leaders coordinate these services where available. Market garderies provide a local childcare option, but access varies by region and household resources, and no uniform nationwide childcare entitlement is documented. Adolescence is commonly defined as ages 10 to 19. Young people move through general education, technical education, vocational training, apprenticeship and entry into work. Attendance indicators differ sharply by level: primary attendance is about 91%, lower-secondary attendance about 53% and upper-secondary attendance about 24%; youth literacy among 15-to-24-year-olds is about 88%. Non-attendance is higher among girls than boys in the cited data. Youth centres, schools and community programmes may provide sexual and reproductive information, family-planning support or protection from gender-based violence. Early pregnancy, child marriage, violence, trafficking, hazardous work and school dropout remain significant risks. Marriage before 18 is prohibited, personal consent is required, and a court may grant a dispensation from age 16 only for serious reasons. The transition into marriage or parenthood can affect schooling, income, legal responsibilities and exposure to violence. Prevention and support may involve MEPS, Action sociale, UNFPA, schools, civil-society organisations and community or religious leaders. Formalising a marriage through État civil is distinct from the broader family-law consequences of the relationship. From age 18, adults generally have civil legal capacity. Common transitions include moving from education into work, establishing an identity record, marriage and parenthood, migration, disability, retirement and widowhood. Parents have duties of maintenance and upbringing, and spouses contribute to household and family needs according to their means. Access to formal benefits often depends on identity documents, residence, insurance contributions or registration in a social database. Formal employees may receive CNSS coverage for old-age, disability, survivors' and family benefits, while many informal workers do not have the same contribution-based protection. The RSPM is a register of social persons and households, and ASTRE provides targeted cash transfers for extreme poverty, shocks and resilience; neither creates an automatic benefit solely because of age. AMU provides a life-stage-wide health-access framework, but specific eligibility and service rules require confirmation for the individual case. CNSS old-age protection depends strongly on the insurance record. The normal pension age is 60, or 55 for permanent state employees. A normal pension generally requires at least 180 months of insurance and the end of dependent employment. An old-age allowance may apply from age 60 with at least 12 months of insurance when 180 months are missing. Voluntary or early retirement from age 55 can reduce the pension by 5% for each year of early retirement. An invalidity pension before age 60 generally requires 120 months of insurance, including six months in the previous 12 months. Survivor pensions may cover spouses and children. Togo has no documented nationwide equivalent to a compulsory long-term-care insurance, care-grade assessment or universal long-term-care entitlement. Families, neighbours, communities, religious groups and social organisations provide most assistance with dependency. Functional formal alternatives include CNSS disability support, AMU and public health services, Action sociale, protection and inclusion services, and RSPM or ASTRE where eligibility conditions are met. Support for children with disabilities can include inclusive education, itinerant teachers, Braille, sign language and occasional home assistance. Availability, cost and duration depend on diagnosis, insurance, registration, location and family resources. Crises affecting children and other vulnerable people may include violence, abuse, exploitation, trafficking, street involvement, separation, unaccompanied status, conflict with the law, forced or early marriage, disability and extreme poverty. Centres sociaux, local protection committees, police and courts can connect cases to medical, psychosocial and legal services, family reunification or reintegration. Drought, floods, coastal erosion and heat can interrupt water, food, education and protection, with northern regions and Savanes particularly vulnerable. There is no uniform nationwide crisis benefit for every situation; local case management and referral availability must be checked with the responsible commune, État civil, CNSS, public service or Action sociale office.