Djibouti

The country that began its history as the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Following two decades of authoritarian rule, civil war broke out but was ended by a peace accord in 2001. Although France maintains a military presence in this eastern African nation, which borders the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, Djibouti also has strong ties to the United States and is home to the only American military base in sub-Saharan Africa. Djibouti is considered a strategic point in the battle against global terrorism. Some 87 percent of the population is now urbanized, and two-thirds of the population live in the capital city. Many rural Djiboutians still follow a nomadic lifestyle. With a per capita income of $2,800 and an unemployment rate of almost 60 percent in urban areas and 83 percent in rural areas, 42 percent of the population lives in poverty. Djibouti is heavily dependent on foreign assistance.

With a population made up of Somalis (60 percent) and Afars (35 percent), Djibouti is ethnically homogeneous. Ninety-four percent of the population is Muslim, but Djiboutians have adopted Islamic rules to their own customs. Although women hold legal rights to equality, in practice they are held back by religious and cultural practices derived from Sharià Law. Inheritance laws favor males by giving them a larger share than females. Women are also limited in their ability to divorce and travel. After the 2008 elections, the number of women in the Djibouti Parliament rose to nine of 65 seats. Two women sat in the cabinet, and a woman was the president of the Supreme Court. Major problems in Djibouti include the devaluation of women, violence against women, and female gender mutilation.

Djibouti has the 41st highest infant mortality in the world (58.33 deaths per 1,000 live births). Female infants (50.01) have a higher survival rate than males (66.41), and the advantage continues into adulthood, resulting in a life expectancy of 62.79 years for women and 57.93 for men. At 17.8 years for women and 18.5 years for men, median ages are extremely low. Women give birth to an average of 2.92 children each. Statistically, there is one physician for every 5,000 persons in Djibouti, and health issues are of major concern. Djibouti has an human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevalence rate of 3.1 percent.

The people of Djibouti also have a high risk of contracting bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, typhoid fever, and malaria. Although avian flu has been identified, it is not considered a major issue. Both male (78 percent) and female (58.4 percent) literacy is low. Widespread illiteracy is related to abysmally low educational levels for both men (5 years) and women (4 years).

[Page 410]Historically, women have not been valued in Djiboutian society, and girls between the ages of 7 and 10 years, particularly those who live in rural areas, undergo female genital mutilation. According to a report issued early in the 21st century, by the age of 7 years, 98 percent of girls have been subjected to female genital mutilation. A campaign to end this practice, which was launched by the Union of Djiboutian Women in 1988, has had only limited success. A 1995 law banning the practice is not enforced.

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