Prostitution Prostitution laws in Niger
Niger's Penal Code (Law No. 61-27 of 15 July 1961, as amended) contains no offence of selling or buying sex between adults. Procuring, including aiding or protecting another's prostitution or soliciting, sharing its proceeds, knowingly living with a person habitually engaged in it or acting as an intermediary, carries six months to three years and a fine of 50,000 to 5,000,000 francs (Article 291), and two to five years in aggravated cases (Article 292). Owning, managing or running a prostitution establishment, or habitually tolerating prostitution in a hotel, bar or other place open to the public, carries two to five years, doubled for a repeat within ten years, with withdrawal of the licence (Article 294). Police have rounded up people at sites associated with sex work; in operations in 2016 and 2017, 192 of 431 girls detained were minors.
Legal model
Legal, organisation banned. Selling and buying are legal, but brothels, procuring and organising are criminal offences.
Selling and buying sex are not offences under Niger's Penal Code; a senior police officer stated in 2018 that prostitution as such is not an offence in Niger. Procuring, including living with a sex worker, and running or tolerating a prostitution establishment are criminalised (Articles 291 to 294).[1][2]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Legal | No offence of selling sex was found in the Penal Code, and a police commissioner interviewed in 2018 stated that prostitution as such is not an offence. The Code lists soliciting (racolage) among offences treated alike for recidivism (Article 60), but no article creating a soliciting offence was found in the text consulted.[1][2] |
| Buying sexual services | Legal | No offence of buying sex from an adult was found. Habitually exciting, favouring or facilitating the debauchery or corruption of young people under 21, or even occasionally of children under 13, carries two to five years (Article 293).[1] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | Holding, directly or through another, managing or running a prostitution establishment, or habitually tolerating the presence of sex workers in a hotel, furnished house, boarding house, bar, club, dance hall or other place open to the public, carries two to five years and 50,000 to 5,000,000 francs (Article 294), doubled for a repeat within ten years. The licence is withdrawn and the establishment may be closed permanently.[1][2] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | A procurer is anyone who aids, assists or protects another's prostitution or soliciting, shares its proceeds or receives support from a person habitually engaged in it, knowingly lives with such a person, cannot justify their lifestyle while in habitual contact with sex workers, recruits or keeps even a consenting adult for prostitution, or acts as an intermediary: six months to three years and 50,000 to 5,000,000 francs (Article 291); two to five years if aggravated (Article 292).[1] |
| Advertising sexual services | Restricted Breach: criminal offence | No offence specific to advertising sexual services was found in the text consulted. A third party who aids or assists another person's prostitution or soliciting, which can include advertising for them, commits procuring (Article 291(1)).[1] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
No offence of selling sex was found in the Penal Code, and a police commissioner interviewed in 2018 stated that prostitution as such is not an offence. The Code lists soliciting (racolage) among offences treated alike for recidivism (Article 60), but no article creating a soliciting offence was found in the text consulted.[1][2]
Confidence: medium. Read in the Code as amended by Law No. 2003-025; a 2018 consolidation and Ordinance No. 2020-01 amending the Code could not be opened. A soliciting offence may exist in another text.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
No offence of buying sex from an adult was found. Habitually exciting, favouring or facilitating the debauchery or corruption of young people under 21, or even occasionally of children under 13, carries two to five years (Article 293).[1]
Confidence: medium. Amendments after 2003 were not checked.
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
Holding, directly or through another, managing or running a prostitution establishment, or habitually tolerating the presence of sex workers in a hotel, furnished house, boarding house, bar, club, dance hall or other place open to the public, carries two to five years and 50,000 to 5,000,000 francs (Article 294), doubled for a repeat within ten years. The licence is withdrawn and the establishment may be closed permanently.[1][2]
Confidence: medium. Amendments after 2003 were not checked.
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
A procurer is anyone who aids, assists or protects another's prostitution or soliciting, shares its proceeds or receives support from a person habitually engaged in it, knowingly lives with such a person, cannot justify their lifestyle while in habitual contact with sex workers, recruits or keeps even a consenting adult for prostitution, or acts as an intermediary: six months to three years and 50,000 to 5,000,000 francs (Article 291); two to five years if aggravated (Article 292).[1]
Confidence: medium. Amendments after 2003 were not checked.
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
No offence specific to advertising sexual services was found in the text consulted. A third party who aids or assists another person's prostitution or soliciting, which can include advertising for them, commits procuring (Article 291(1)).[1]
Confidence: low. Article 60 refers to offences against public morals ('outrages aux bonnes mœurs'), which suggests a morals or publications offence exists elsewhere, but it was not found.
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| Code pénal (loi n° 61-27 du 15 juillet 1961, modifiée par la loi n° 2003-025 du 13 juin 2003) Penal Code (Law No. 61-27 of 15 July 1961), as amended by Law No. 2003-025 of 13 June 2003 art. 60 · art. 291–294 | Articles 291 to 294 criminalise procuring, corruption of young people and prostitution establishments.[1] | 1961 |
In numbers
Nine police operations, as reported by the police commissioner interviewed; not national figures and not a measure of the number of sex workers.
Timeline
- 15 July 1961Law No. 61-27 institutes the Penal Code, including the procuring and brothel offences.[1]
- 13 June 2003Law No. 2003-025 amends the Penal Code.[1]
- 2017Police operations at sites associated with sex work, run with UNICEF support in late 2016 and early 2017, detain 431 girls, 192 of them minors.[2]
Sources
- Code pénal (loi n° 61-27 du 15 juillet 1961, modifiée par la loi n° 2003-025 du 13 juin 2003) (Penal Code (Law No. 61-27 of 15 July 1961, as amended by Law No. 2003-025 of 13 June 2003)). Ministère de la Justice du Niger (copy hosted by antislaverylaw.ac.uk), 2003. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- « À Niamey, la prostitution est érigée en un véritable système », dixit CP Mme Boubacar Adiza Adamou ('In Niamey, prostitution has become a real system', says Police Commissioner Boubacar Adiza Adamou). Niger Inter, 19 June 2018. news · accessed 30 October 2026