A 2012 U.S. report commended Benin "for continuing the transition to democracy" and applauded "the legislative work of recent years to pass and enforce laws regarding domestic violence against women, official corruption, torture, and other crimes", as well as "the establishment of human rights institutions including the human rights Ombudsman and the National Council for the Promotion of Gender Equity and Equality".
In addition, the report noted "the government's slow progress in addressing the worst forms of child labor".
In 1990 the word "People's" was removed from the country's official name,[5] and in December 1991 a new constitution was ratified with the goal of establishing a nation in which "the rule of law, fundamental rights, public liberties, human dignity and justice are guaranteed, protected and promoted as the prerequisite for the harmonious development of each Benin citizen".
In the elections held that year, Kérékou lost to Nicéphore Soglo and accepted the results of the vote.
[5] Increasingly since 1991, Benin has been generally regarded as having considerably higher human-rights standards than most other African countries.
It has been written that Benin "appears to be one of the leading democracies in Africa", but that the many human rights NGOs in the country, which date back to the transitional period, "do not network among themselves", so that "it is normal for organizations working in the same area to not know each other", resulting in a "duplication of efforts".
[5] At the 47th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in 2010, the Attorney General of Benin, Victor Topanou declared that "today there is evident political will to ensure the success of the culture of human rights", citing recent efforts to alleviate poverty through micro-credit policies, to improve access to justice by constructing of new law courts and prisons, and to increase food rations and health care in prisons.
Many journalists engage in self-censorship, and a number of them have been sued for libel, although judges tend to choose not to prosecute them.
The government does not interfere with academic or cultural activities, and generally respects the right to freedom of assembly, although it sometimes refuses permits for gatherings by opposition groups and others.
[10] In 2010, the government prohibited several public gatherings, including demonstrations by union members concerned about corruption and other issues.
There is a government agency called the Watchdog to Combat Corruption, whose ostensible purpose is to address this problem.
[13] Enforcement of the law against rape, the punishment for which can be up to five years in prison, is hampered by corruption, ineffective police work, and fear of social stigma.
[10] Female genital mutilation has been described as "the worst substantial human rights violation in Benin".
Still, they experience a great deal of social and employment discrimination owing to traditional attitudes about sex roles,[10] and have a much harder time obtaining credit and when widowed do not have the right to manage their own property.
[10] A 2012 U.S. report commended Benin for establishing the National Council for the Promotion of Gender Equity and Equality.
One report describes the infanticide as follows: "As soon as the child is born in a way considered to make them a witch or abnormal, the head of the family gives the baby to an executioner.
Yet such cases rarely come to court because of respect for traditional beliefs and customs and/or because of the difficulty of gathering the necessary evidence.
[15] Another custom that is still common is that of placing a poor child with a well-off family as a domestic servant, a situation that often results in sexual and labor exploitation and in trafficking.
[10] In a 2012 report, the U.S. noted Benin's rejection of a previous recommendation that it "decriminalize sexual relations between consenting, same-sex individuals" and expressed continued concern "about LGBT citizens in Benin", asking: "What services or educational programs do you have in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of LGBT citizens?"
There is a minimum wage but it is very low, and there are various restrictions on working hours and the like but these are generally only enforced in the "formal sector".
Under the constitution, defendants cannot be arrested without warrants and evidence and must be arraigned by a judge within 48 hours, but these rules are not always observed.
[11] A 2004 report observed that acts of brutal physical abuse by authorities routinely go unpunished in Benin.
[11] Among the other problems in Benin's prisons are malnutrition, disease, poor sanitation, inadequate medical care, and a lack of ventilation.
A 2008 report by IRIN noted that "[p]rison conditions in Benin are so deplorable that they were, alongside police brutality, one of two reasons that compelled the international human rights watchdog Amnesty International to list the country in its annual State of the World's Human Rights report for the first time in 2008".
[18] Capital punishment is still officially legal in Benin, and convicts are still sentenced to death, but no executions have taken place since 1987.