Power in this republic is concentrated in the presidency. The current President began his rule in 1984 as head of a military junta; from 1994 to 2003 he has been elected. The Party of Unity and Progress and associated parties won 91 of the 114 seats in the National Assembly. The President's power base is strengthened by senior military and cabinet posts being held by members of his ethnic Soussou group. The President can have an unlimited number of 7-year terms. 46 political parties are legally recognised, though only 5 have members in the National Assembly.

Government employees are required to campaign for the ruling party in elections. An increasing number of appointed public sector positions are held by Soussou. There are 20 women deputies in the National Assembly and 5 women in the 26-member Cabinet. Women play a minor role in political parties. The judiciary is independent in law but is subject to executive influence; corruption is reported to be widespread in the judiciary and in government.

Discrimination on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, language, beliefs, political opinions, philosophy or creed is prohibited, but the legislation is not enforced.

The President can and does overrule legislative decisions. Traditional justice practised by village chiefs is common. The line is vague between formal and informal justice systems. Traditional justice discriminates against women. There are reports of a covert system of justice run by unidentified, uniformed personnel, who are accused of using torture in secret prisons to obtain confessions. Political prisoners accused of plotting a coup in 2003 are still imprisoned. Security forces abuse refugees with impunity.

The economy is based on subsistence agriculture, growth has stagnated and foreign aid has declined. Hardship is caused by rising prices of staples, frequent power blackouts and water shortages. Wages have not kept pace with inflation, and food prices have risen by 30%.

Freedom of speech and of the press are legislated but limited in reality. Access-to-information legislation has not been enacted. Newspaper, television and radio stations are government-operated. Journalists avoid reporting on controversial issues and practice self-censorship. Foreign publications are available, as is access to foreign television programmes via satellite or cable, though it is too costly for most citizens. Internet access is not restricted.

Trafficking of persons is prohibited, but women and children are trafficked internally and externally for the sex trade. Trafficking in children is common. The country is a transit route for West African traffickers sending children to destinations in Europe and other African countries. The Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugee populations are vulnerable to trafficking. There are reports of hospitals refusing to treat patients with AIDS because of lack of knowledge about the disease.

The budgetary allocation for primary education was increased but the funds have not been spent. Tuition free, compulsory primary school education from age 7 to age 12 years is provided; enrolment rates reflect the inability of parents to meet the other costs of education. School fees for books, materials, uniforms and other supplies put education out of the reach of many. As can be seen in the statistics provided below the Net Enrolment Rate is very low; class sizes are high opportunities for some are very limited.

Girls often work to help pay for their brothers' education. Sexual assaults of young girls at school are reported. Underage marriages for girls as young as 11 years of age are reported; girls are trafficked for prostitution and cheap labour.

A 4-year programme begins at age 3. At this level, 91% of education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 6%. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 36 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 7 to 12. Primary school begins at age 7 and continues for 6 years. The NER is 64% (69% of boys, 58% of girls), and 43% of students are girls. 21% of primary education is private. Of students who enrol in Grade 1, 77% continue to the last grade. 10% of students repeat grades. 25,361 teachers (24% female) work at this level. The PTR is 45 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 13 and is completed in 7 years. 2% of students in lower secondary and 10 % in upper secondary education study in technical vocational programmes. The NER is 21% (reported as 21% of boys, 14% of girls). 12% of students repeat grades. Secondary teachers number 10,465 in total, 6,868 in lower secondary and 3,597 in upper secondary. The PTR is 21 : 1 in lower secondary and 20 : 1 in upper secondary school.

17,218 students (16% feamle) study in tertiary institutions. The Gross Enrolment Rate is 2%. Guinean students study overseas, mainly in France (1,263), Portugal (268), Morocco (263), USA (250) and Germany (241).

There are no special constitutional provisions for persons with disabilities. Few persons with disabilities work. A community rehabilitation programme for disabled persons and a school for deaf-mutes as well as a school for the blind have been established. The government has yet to finish building an institute for young blind people in Kankan, where river blindness is endemic. Equipment for the speech-therapy laboratory at the school for deaf-mutes is needed; an equipment centre for the disabled in the country's 3 main cities is to be provided with international assistance.

During the year, UNCHR and the government confirmed that all displaced persons have been reintegrated into their communities. The law provides for the granting of asylum and refugee status to persons 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 of providing protection to refugees. Refugees from neighbouring countries have been accepted into the country. 78,000 refugees received UNHCR assistance. Little information is available on educational provisions for refugees.

No single ethnic group constitutes a majority of the population and ethnic identification is strong. The Malinke make up 30% of the population. The Fulani (Peuhl), also 30%, are the most dispersed people in West Africa, being nomadic and rarely intermarrying with other peoples. The Soussou (20%) are currently the dominant ethno-political group in Guinea because of their links to political power (the President is Soussou).

Academic freedom is restricted, through government influence on faculty hiring and control of the curriculum and self-censorship. Students have been expelled and arrested and schools have been closed over objections to government changes. The elimination of university dormitories has increased difficulties for students.

Women are equal under the law but face discrimination and violence. In rural areas women bear a high proportion of the work of subsistence farming, which in combination with childrearing and limited educational opportunities restricts their life choices. Despite a legislated principle of equal pay for work of equal value, women receive lower pay than men. Inheritance laws favour male heirs. Polygyny is common. Divorce favours men in both child custody and division of assets. Legal evidence from women carries less weight than testimony by men.

Domestic violence is common, though women rarely report abuse to the police, who are loath to intervene in domestic disputes. Sexual harassment is not against the law. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is common in all regions and among all religious and ethnic groups, and in fact the country has one of the highest rates of FGM in the world. Though it is illegal, prosecutions are rare. FGM increases the risk of HIV infection because unsterilised instruments are shared among participants. But FGM practitioners oppose its eradication since it is lucrative.

The minimum age for employment is 16. Apprentices may start work at age 14. Children under age 18 are not allowed to work at night or for more than 10 consecutive hours. 48% of children under age 15 are employed; they make up 20% of the total working population and 26% of agricultural workers. Working children are mostly in the informal sector and in subsistence farming.

Some young Muslim children are sent to live with a Koranic master for instruction in Arabic, Islam and the Koran. They work for the teacher as payment. Rural children are sent to live with family members in the city to attend school. Often the host family is unable to pay school fees, and the children work to pay for room and board or as cheap domestic labour. The worst forms of child labour are found in the mining sector. There are also reports of forced and compulsory child labour.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions, except for military and paramilitary personnel. Collective bargaining of wages takes place. Salaried workers, including public sector civilian employees, have the right to strike, though strikers often face intimidation from security forces. Strikes in essential services are banned. Forced or compulsory labour is prohibited but occurs.

The government can set a minimum hourly wage but has not done so. Prevailing wages do not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. Regular work weeks should not exceed 10-hour days or 48-hour weeks.