Niger

With reference to article 3 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the Government of the Republic of the Niger declares that the minimum age at which it permits voluntary recruitment into the Niger armed forces and national gendarmerie is 18 years, in accordance with Act No. 62-10 of 16 March 1962 on the organization of recruitment in the Republic of the Niger.
The Government of the Republic of the Niger further indicates below the safeguards it has put in place to ensure that recruitment is never forced or coerced:
(a) The recruitment procedure for the Niger armed forces and national gendarmerie is initiated through a newspaper and national media advertisement for young men and women;
(b) The recruitment file includes, as the case may be, a birth certificate and a certificate of school attendance and/or apprenticeship;
(c) Induction for the young recruits takes place in public, at a sports field or similar setting;
(d) All recruits undergo a thorough medical examination.

Reservations:

Article 2, paragraphs (d) and (f)
The Government of the Republic of the Niger expresses reservations with regard to article 2, paragraphs (d) and (f), concerning the taking of all appropriate measures to abolish all customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women, particularly in respect of succession.
Article 5, paragraph (a)
The Government of the Republic of the Niger expresses reservations with regard to the modification of social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women.
Article 15, paragraph 4
The Government of the Republic of the Niger declares that it can be bound by the provisions of this paragraph, particularly those concerning the right of women to choose their residence and domicile, only to the extent that these provisions refer only to unmarried women.
Article 16, paragraph 1 (c), (e) and (g)
The Government of the Republic of the Niger expresses reservations concerning the above-referenced provisions of article 16, particularly those concerning the same rights and responsibilities during marriage and at its dissolution, the same rights to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children, and the right to choose a family name.
The Government of the Republic of the Niger declares that the provisions of article 2, paragraphs (d) and (f), article 5, paragraphs (a) and (b), article 15, paragraph 4, and article 16, paragraph 1 (c), (e) and (g), concerning family relations, cannot be applied immediately, as they are contrary to existing customs and practices which, by their nature, can be modified only with the passage of time and the evolution of society and cannot, therefore, be abolished by an act of authority.
Article 29
The Government of the Republic of the Niger expresses a reservation concerning article 29, paragraph 1, which provides that any dispute between two or more States concerning the interpretation or application of the present Convention which is not settled by negotiation shall, at the request of one of them, be submitted to arbitration.
In the view of the Government of the Niger, a dispute of this nature can be submitted to arbitration only with the consent of all the parties to the dispute.
Declaration

The Government of the Republic of the Niger declares that the term "family education" which appears in article 5, paragraph (b), of the Convention should be interpreted as referring to public education concerning the family, and that in any event, article 5 would be applied in compliance with article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Declarations:

(1) Article 5, paragraph 3: the "criterion of publication" is excluded;
(2) Article 16: the application of article 12 is completely excluded.

With reservations in respect of articles 11, 14 and 15.