Female community health workers during a training session in Dankpen Prefecture, located in the Kara region of northern Togo. Photo by Émile Bobozi. Used with permission.

By Emile Bobozi

In Togo’s rural communities, women bear much of the family responsibilities. However, they remain committed to their communities’ development despite the socio-cultural pressures.

Several rural areas in the Kara region of northern Togo have poor infrastructure, affecting the communities in Bassar and the Kabye, Lamba, and Konkomba people. The roads are often impassable, and waterways hamper hospital access, posing significant healthcare challenges. The women working as community health workers must combine their professional and family responsibilities to provide essential care for their communities.

In Togo, women account for more than 51.3 percent of the population of over 9 million. The illiteracy rate is 33 percent for men and almost double that for women.

Women-specific challenges in rural communities

In traditional Togolese culture, gender stereotypes are still prevalent, often preventing women from standing up for themselves and making independent decisions.

Agriculture is the primary industry in rural areas. It employs 80 percent of the female working population in subsistence farming, helping them provide for their families and meet their everyday needs. However, only 15 percent hold land titles. This limited access to land ownership and agricultural credits makes them dependent on men for resources and decision-making. Many women often suffer discrimination and economic violence, which, according to a demographic study, is sometimes compounded by physical violence. Reports indicate that as many as 32 percent of Togolese women have been victims of physical or sexual abuse from the age of 15.

For women working on farms or in rural areas, the abuse can come in many forms. For instance, when widowed, women sometimes see their brothers-in-law confiscate their crops, leaving them destitute. Others engage in heavy-duty labor such as manual shelling and carrying water for no pay. According to a UN Women report, 42 percent of women farmers report harassment on isolated farms. They also experience sexual blackmail in accessing fertilizers and subsidies.

Image of women attending a gender-based violence awareness-raising course in Bassar. Photo by Émile Bobozi, used with permission

Men unsettled by their wives’ success

Mother of three, Sarakawahalou Awilia is a community health worker (CHW) representative in the Manga canton of the Bassar Prefecture, in Kara, 490 kilometers north of Lomé, the capital of Togo. She is directly responsible for the community health workers in her canton, covering more than 450 households in the five villages under her care. Her work is a testament to her professionalism: no under-five deaths or births at home.

Since 2018, she has strived to improve healthcare access in her community. However, behind her professional success lies a challenging personal reality. She faces domestic pressure from her husband, who wants total control over her salary and threatens her with domestic abuse.

Sarakawahalou is one of 195 women who are now professional community health workers with the NGO Integrate Health. Around 35 percent of these women have already experienced gender-based violence (GBV). Married since 2010, Sarakawahalou’s circumstances worsened when her Community Health Worker (CHW) salary caused tension with her husband. He demands a substantial portion of her income and, if she refuses, resorts to violence.

Despite the intervention of her NGO and the local authorities, Sarawahalou gave in to her husband’s demands to keep the peace. She recalls what her husband said:

Tu vas quitter ma maison si tu ne me donnes pas 25.000 FCFA (44 dollars américains) ce mois, d’ailleurs c'est grâce à moi que tu as été recrutée, si je ne t’avais pas épousée tu n’aurais pas ce travail.

If you don’t give me FCFA 25,000 (USD 44) this month, I want you out of my house. After all, it’s thanks to me that you got this job. If I hadn’t married you, you wouldn’t have gotten it.

In response to her husband’s threats, she said:

C’est dans mon salaire que je fais la cuisine et prends soins des enfants. Combien de fois as tu dépensé pour les soins de santé des enfants? Moi je pense qu’on doit s’entendre au lieu de me menacer.

Cooking and taking care of the children come out of my salary. How much have you spent on the children’s healthcare? Instead of threatening me, I think we should be on the same page.

Today, Sarakawahalou still lives with her husband thanks to the support she received in resolving this issue. She hopes that additional awareness-raising efforts will help her husband recognize the value of her work.

What does the law say about women’s protection in Togo?

Togo has adopted several laws to protect women’s rights and combat discrimination and gender-based violence. As for women’s matrimonial rights, Article 391 of the Persons and Family Code stipulates:

Les femmes ont les mêmes droits que les hommes en matière de mariage, de divorce, de succession et de gestion des biens familiaux.

Women have the same rights as men in marriage, divorce, inheritance, and family property management.

Articles 232 to 237 of the New Penal Code, adopted in November 2015, are meant to protect women from physical, moral, and economic harassment. Emphasizing the penalties imposed for grievous acts, such as violence against pregnant women or degrading treatment, should serve as a deterrent for the perpetrators of such violence. Article 234 stipulates:

Toute personne coupable des violences physiques ou psychologiques sur une femme enceinte est punie d'une peine de cinq (05) à dix (10) ans de réclusion criminelle et d'une amende de 500.000 FCFA (885 dollars américains) à 2.000.000 FCFA (3538 dollars américains) ou de l'une de ces deux peines.
La peine est de cinq (05) à dix (10) ans de réclusion criminelle si ces violences ont entraîné la mort de la victime.

Anyone convicted of physical or psychological abuse against a pregnant woman shall be sentenced to five to ten years imprisonment and fined FCFA 500,000 (USD 885 ) to  FCFA 2,000,000 (USD 3,538) or one of these two penalties. The sentence is five to ten years imprisonment if this violence results in the victim’s death.

Similarly, the Labor Code strengthens the protection of women’s employment, especially during pregnancy and maternity leave. Article 148 stipulates:

Une femme enceinte peut quitter son travail sans préavis ni indemnité de rupture. Elle a droit à un congé de maternité de 14 semaines, dont 6 semaines après l'accouchement, prolongeable en cas de complications ou de grossesse multiple.

A pregnant woman can take leave without prior notice or penalty. She is entitled to 14 weeks of maternity leave, including six weeks after the delivery, with the possibility to extend in the event of complications and multiple births.

Article 158 adds:

“les périodes de repos des femmes en couche, prévues à l’article 148 du présent code, ni dans la limite de six (06) mois, les absences pour maladie dûment constatée par un médecin agréé”

The rest periods outlined for pregnant women in Article 148 of this Code, and absences due to illnesses that approved physicians duly certify, shall not be deducted from the duration of normal leave.

In addition to these laws protecting Togolese women, women’s rights organizations have been fighting for improved protection in practice.

Women in Law and Development in Africa-Togo (WILDAF-Togo) carries the flag for women’s rights, running legal aid clinics and raising awareness about reproductive rights in rural areas. The Togolese Women’s Association for the United Nations (AFTNU) helps women in the Kara region become economically independent by providing interest-free microcredits and political leadership training. Thanks to the initiative “Zéro mariage d’enfants” (No Child Marriages), 200 at-risk girls have been able to attend school, and 87 child marriages have been annulled.

However, enforcing the laws intended to protect women remains a significant challenge. Many women are uninformed about their rights and lack access to the necessary support structures. Awareness-raising and training initiatives are essential in ensuring the effective enforcement of these laws so that women can benefit.

Emile Bobozi originally wrote this article as part of the Aspen Global Innovators program, Impact West Africa Fellowship.