V. GENERAL PRINCIPLES: 41.      The Charter is governed by the following five (5) main principles: The non-discrimination, The best interests of the child, The right to life, survival and development, The respect for children's views, Informing children and promoting their participation Non-discrimination: 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. The first constitutional guarantee of this principle is the direct integration of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights into the Benin Constitution (art.2). In fact, the aforementioned charter requires that the full enjoyment of the rights it states is recognized and guaranteed to all without any discrimination. Then, the second constitutional guarantee is enshrined in Article 8 of the Constitution, by the absolute obligation imposed on the State to ensure equal access to the various basic social services; but also to guarantee full development to the citizen whoever he may be. This same principle is reaffirmed in Article 26 of the Constitution which states that men and women are equal in rights. In addition to these constitutional standards, various other laws also reinforce the respect of the same principle. For example, Law No. 2011- 26 of January 9, 2012 on violence against women, in its Article 5, provides that the fight for equality between men and women is a national priority. To this end, principles and teachings for mutual respect between the sexes, learning to live together, rejection and condemnation of violence, development of critical thinking and analysis against violence and all gender inequalities will be taken into account in the curricula. The concern of avoiding disparity in treatment, for whatever reason, is established as a guideline. Law No. 2003-4 of March 3, 2003 on sexual health and reproduction, in its art 7, reiterates the respect of non-discrimination in the field of reproductive health care. The effective application of the principle is, however, particularly difficult for girls (see below: (f): protection against abuse and ill-treatment). The discrimination against girls in the family (early marriage), or at school (through various abuses), was a serious handicap for their education and development, that required specific programs to address it. With regard to racist discrimination, the State organized two information days respectively in 2010 and 2011 to take action on the measures adopted at the World Conference on Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance. Finally, the Law N ° 2015-08 on Children's Code in the Republic of Benin, voted on January 26, 2015 and awaiting promulgation, enshrines the principle of nondiscrimination in its article 7 which provides that : « Every child shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognized and guaranteed by this Law and is entitled to equal treatment in respect of services, goods or services without discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic group, social or national origin, sex, language, religion, political affiliation or other opinion, fortune, birth, disability, family

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