The Republic of Cape Verde elections in 2006 saw the ruling African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) re-elected with 52% of the vote for a 5-year term. The PAICV first came to power under a 1-party system after independence with the current President as first Prime Minister. Then the Movement for Democracy (MpD) won the first multi-party elections in 1990 and held power until 2001, when the PAICV regained power. The elections, held on the basis of universal suffrage, were deemed free and fair.

The Constitution provides for separation of powers shared by the President, the Prime Minister and the party in power. The National Assembly has 72 directly elected members elected from 16 multi-member constituencies. A system of party-list proportional representation is used. There are 11 women elected as deputies and 4 women in the 17-member Cabinet. The judiciary is independent but understaffed.

Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability, language or social status is prohibited, but the law is not enforced. Some members of the security forces are accused of beating detainees despite efforts to stop such practices. The country has little industry and few natural resources. The per capita income is estimated at US$1,495, with remittances from abroad as an important source of income.

Freedom of speech and of the press is guaranteed, but journalists associated with government-controlled media are reported to practise self-censorship. Independent media are increasing, and Internet access is not restricted.

Cape Verde is used as a transit port in human trafficking.

Primary education is compulsory for children aged 6 to 11. Primary education should be, but is not, free; parents are required to pay various charges. Secondary education is free only for children whose families have an annual income below US$1,951 (160,000 Cape Verdean escudos). UNICEF reports that primary school attendance from 1996 to 2003 was approximately 98%. Attendance rates for boys and girls differ by less than 1%. An increase in school enrolment is noted, and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child commended the positive aims of education within the country's national education curriculum and the establishment of a teacher training institute.

However, the Committee expressed concern at the continuing wide use of corporal punishment in the home and in schools and by the police against such vulnerable groups as street children. It also expressed concern over the quality of education and in particular the serious lack of resources, about the high drop-out rate of children from secondary education, about the limited access to pre-school education, about the exclusion of some adolescents from the system of compulsory education and about the fact that children who are not fluent in both Creole and Portuguese risk being marginalised.

The Committee recommended an increase in the number of years of compulsory education, including an extension of the minimum age for leaving education, and recommended that steps be taken to close the gap between the minimum age for work and the end of compulsory education. Female students may be suspended during pregnancy or when nursing. Individual schools enforce this rule.

A 3-year programme begins at age 3. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) for ECE programmes is 51%. At this level there are 959 teachers, of whom 7% are trained, with a pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) of 22 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 11. The NER is 92%. Grade levels are repeated by 13% of children, and 88% of children (86% of boys, 90% of girls) who begin primary education enrol in the last grade level of primary school. 3,169 teachers (65% male, 77% female) work in primary education, and 73% are trained (65% of males, 77% of females). The PTR is 27 : 1.

A 6-year secondary education programme begins at age 12. The NER is 55%. 20% of students repeat grade levels. 39% of secondary schools are private. 1,060 teachers work in lower secondary schools and 1,133 in upper secondary. Overall, 39% of teachers at this level are female, and 61% are trained. The PTR is 23 : 1.

3,036 students study in tertiary education in the country, giving a Gross Enrolment Rate of 6%, while 3,436 Cape Verdean students study abroad, mainly in Portugal (3,031), Cuba (143), France (134), USA (52) and Italy (24).

Special protection is mandated for persons with disabilities, but services are limited. Discrimination is illegal against persons with disabilities in education or employment or in the provision of other state services, but few services are provided for the disabled. The Committee on the Rights of the Child noted the failure to respect fully the rights of children with disabilities and the absence of public schools or trained teachers for children in need of special facilities;

The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and the government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. Little information is available on the education rights and reality for refugees. The UN Committee on racial discrimination noted with concern that immigrants from West African States face discrimination and are commonly referred to in derogatory terms. The Committee recommended that appropriate measures be taken to combat the stereotyping of immigrants.

Most inhabitants of Cape Verde are mestiços, descendants of enslaved Africans and white Portuguese settlers. Cape Verde has taken steps to recognise the Creole language by integrating it into the school curriculum alongside the official Portuguese language. Reports indicate that minorities are well integrated in the country.

Reports do not indicate any restriction of academic freedom, and Internet use is not monitored.

Despite constitutional prohibitions against sex discrimination and provisions for full equality, including equal pay for work of equal value, discrimination against women continues. Women are paid less than men for comparable work but are making inroads into various professions. Discriminatory treatment in inheritance is reported.

Domestic violence is common, and cultural values inhibit victims from reporting violence. Violence against women has been the subject of extensive media coverage.

The legal minimum age for employment is 16, which makes a considerable discrepancy with the end of compulsory education at age 11. Forced or compulsory labour of children is prohibited. Children under age 16 are prohibited from working at night or for more than 7 hours per day, and they cannot work in places where toxic products are produced. Unfortunately the laws on education and child labour are not effectively enforced, and child labour occurs.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions. Approximately 22% of workers are unionised. Collective bargaining is legal, but rarely takes place. The government is the country's largest employer and is dominant in setting wages. Salary levels for civil servants provide the basis for wage negotiations in the private sector. Union members have the right to strike, but the government has limited this right. Essential services must be provided during strike action, and the government interprets essential services in the broadest terms.

There is no minimum wage rate in the private sector. Entry level workers receive US$146 (12,000 Cape Verdean escudos) per month. This does not provide a worker and family with a decent standard of living. Most workers have second jobs. The maximum work week is 44 hours.