PRESS RELEASE : 45th Universal Periodic Review of human rights – UK statement on Senegal [January 2024]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 January 2024.
The UK’s statement during Senegal’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Delivered on 22 January 2024.
Thank you, Madam Vice-President, and we warmly welcome Her Excellency the Minister of Justice of Senegal to today’s Review.
The UK welcomes the progress made by Senegal on human rights issues, including on the rights of women and children. However, we remain concerned about continued high levels of child, early and forced marriage, as well as discrimination and violence based on gender or sexual orientation, and we call on the government to take further steps to tackle these.
We recommend Senegal:
- Improve protections for the rights of women and children, including by adopting the draft ‘Children’s Code’.
- Protect media freedom and the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, and of peaceful assembly and association, including during the 2024 presidential elections.
- Ensure full compliance with Senegalese and international law on police custody and pre-trial detention time limits.
Thank you.
