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Africa: Political Will Needed to End Violence Against Women and Girls in Africa - allAfrica.com
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Both these commemorations come at a time when the Africa Union is drafting its Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls making it crucial to take stock of the challenges the region has faced in making the rights in the Maputo Protocol a "> <meta itemprop="image" content="https://cdn04.allafrica.com/download/pic/main/main/csiid/00660600:2229d216f47e133cbb1af51bb34c7648:arc614x376:w1200.jpg"> <meta itemprop="name" content="Africa: Political Will Needed to End Violence Against Women and Girls in Africa"> <meta name="description" content="Guest Column - This week Africa celebrates the 19th anniversary of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol), and the world begins the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. 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https://cdn04.allafrica.com/download/pic/main/main/csiid/00660600:2229d216f47e133cbb1af51bb34c7648:arc614x376:w570:us1.jpg 570w, https://cdn04.allafrica.com/download/pic/main/main/csiid/00660600:2229d216f47e133cbb1af51bb34c7648:arc614x376:w624:us1.jpg 624w, https://cdn04.allafrica.com/download/pic/main/main/csiid/00660600:2229d216f47e133cbb1af51bb34c7648:arc614x376:w724:us1.jpg 724w, https://cdn04.allafrica.com/download/pic/main/main/csiid/00660600:2229d216f47e133cbb1af51bb34c7648:arc614x376:w735:us1.jpg 735w, https://cdn04.allafrica.com/download/pic/main/main/csiid/00660600:2229d216f47e133cbb1af51bb34c7648:arc614x376:w855:us1.jpg 855w, https://cdn04.allafrica.com/download/pic/main/main/csiid/00660600:2229d216f47e133cbb1af51bb34c7648:arc614x376:w882:us1.jpg 882w" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) calc( ( ( 1170px * 2 / 3 ) - 30px ) * .98 ), (min-width: 768px) calc( ( ( 1000px * 2 / 3 ) - 30px ) * .98 ), (min-width: 0) calc( ( 100vw - 30px ) * .98 )" src="https://cdn04.allafrica.com/download/pic/main/main/csiid/00660600:2229d216f47e133cbb1af51bb34c7648:arc614x376:w735:us1.jpg" alt="" width="1248" height="764" /> <div class="caption-and-credit clearfix"> <div class="credit"><a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite/16-days-of-activism" class="external">UN Women</a></div> <div class="figcaption">The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day.</div> </div><!--/.caption-and-credit--> <div style="clear:both;"></div> </div><!--/.figure.picture.story-header"--> <div class="publisher-and-date"> <div class="publication-date">28 November 2024</div> <div class="publication"> <a href="https://allafrica.com/" target="_blank" title="Visit allAfrica.com" data-img-src="https://cdn02.allafrica.com/static/images/publishers/minibanners/allafrica180.png"> <div class="publisher-name publisher-id-00010437" data-img-src="https://cdn02.allafrica.com/static/images/publishers/minibanners/allafrica180.png"> allAfrica.com </div> </a> </div><!--/.publication--> </div><!--/.publisher-and-date--> <style> @media print, screen and (min-width: 480px) { body.aans.view .column.main .publisher-and-date .publication .publisher-logo.publisher-id-00010437 { background-image: url('https://cdn02.allafrica.com/static/images/publishers/minibanners/allafrica180.png'); } } </style> <script> ready(function(){ "use strict"; // technically we only expect one node, but attachClickTracking() requires a nodeList const nodeList = document.querySelectorAll('body.aans.view .column.main .publisher-and-date .publication'); const found = nodeList.length; if (document.querySelector('html.is-dev') && found!==1) { console.error(`invalid number of elements found for publisher name/logo: ${found}`); } nodeList.forEach(node => { const container = node.querySelector('.publisher-name'); if (document.querySelector('html.is-dev') && !container) { console.error('no publisher name/logo container found'); } const imgSrc = container.dataset.imgSrc; let selectors = { 'a': 'Name' }; // load publisher mininbanner, if available if ( imgSrc ) { const bgImg = new Image; bgImg.onload = function(){ container.style.width = bgImg.width+'px'; container.style.height = bgImg.height+'px'; container.classList.add('publisher-logo'); // check whether or not we have a background image, which will // be dependent on our CSS media query const style = getComputedStyle(container); if (style.backgroundImage!=="none") selectors = { 'a': 'Logo' }; // cannot be easily consolidated with the below because this is // triggered within a callback eventToolsQueue.push(function(){ attachClickTracking( 'AANS View Publisher Header', nodeList, selectors ); }); }; bgImg.src=imgSrc; } else { eventToolsQueue.push(function(){ attachClickTracking( 'AANS View Publisher Header', nodeList, selectors ); }); } }); }); </script> <span class="kindofstory">guest column</span> <cite class="byline">By Betty Kabari</cite> <div class="story-body"> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="87">This week Africa celebrates the <a href="https://au.int/en/treaties/protocol-african-charter-human-and-peoples-rights-rights-women-africa"> 19th anniversary</a> of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol), and the world begins the <a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite/16-days-of-activism"> 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence</a>. Both these commemorations come at a time when the Africa Union is drafting its <a href="https://au.int/en/aucevawg#:~:text=Establish%20a%20comprehensive%2C%20legally%20binding,and%20promoting%20a%20culture%20of"> Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls</a> making it crucial to take stock of the challenges the region has faced in making the rights in the Maputo Protocol a lived reality.</p> <blockquote><p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="10">Other African countries have failed to enact the necessary laws</p></blockquote> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="103">The Maputo Protocol provides a critical foundation for identifying, preventing, and addressing gender-based violence against women and girls. However, governments have failed to put in place consistent, effective measures to prevent and address this violence since the Protocol entered into force in 2005. Many countries have adopted laws, policies, and guidelines on violence against women and girls that are weak, ambiguous, and have significant loopholes. Many countries <a href="https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/154366/cdc_154366_DS1.pdf">do not have a legal definition of gender-based violence</a>, making it difficult to develop criminal laws to prosecute it and to develop systems that can effectively identify victims and survivors to provide them with support services.</p> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <div id="responsive-aans-view-a-container" class="outer-ad-container adsense-outer-ad-container adsense-responsive-outer-ad-container responsive-aans-view-a-container"> <!-- google ad container for 'AllAfrica_ResponsiveAansViewA'--> <div class="ad-container adsense-ad responsive-ad adsense-responsive-ad responsive-aans-view-ad responsive-aans-view-a"> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2420009840005975" data-ad-slot="3319981629" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true" ></ins> </div><!--/.ad-container.adsense-ad.responsive-ad.adsense-responsive-ad.responsive-aans-view-ad.responsive-aans-view-a--> </div><!--/.outer-ad-container.adsense-outer-ad-container.adsense-responsive-outer-ad-container.responsive-aans-view-a-container--> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="34">Other African countries have failed to enact the necessary laws altogether. Only <a href="https://equalitynow.org/news_and_insights/to-end-child-marriage-in-southern-and-eastern-africa-governments-need-to-strengthen-laws-and-implementation/"> 6 out of 16 countries</a> in Southern Africa have laws that set the minimum age of marriage at 18, without any exceptions.</p> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="113">Governments have also taken steps that directly contravene the Maputo Protocol. <a href="https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/37077-sl-PROTOCOL_TO_THE_AFRICAN_CHARTER_ON_HUMAN_AND_PEOPLES_RIGHTS_ON_THE_RIGHTS_OF_WOMEN_IN_AFRICA.pdf"> Six countries</a> have entered reservations to Article 6, which provides for equal rights for men and women in marriage. In 2020, 16 African states signed the <a href="https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n20/344/30/pdf/n2034430.pdf">Geneva Consensus Declaration</a> on Promoting Women’s Health and Strengthening the Family, which contrary to its name does not promote women’s health. Rather, it denies women and girls the right to abortion as guaranteed by Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol, which <a href="https://achpr.au.int/index.php/en/node/854">requires states to guarantee access to abortion</a> in cases where the pregnancy is a result of sexual violence or endangers the health of the woman or endangers the life of the woman or foetus.</p> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <div id="responsive-aans-view-b-container" class="outer-ad-container adsense-outer-ad-container adsense-responsive-outer-ad-container responsive-aans-view-b-container"> <!-- google ad container for 'AllAfrica_ResponsiveAansViewB'--> <div class="ad-container adsense-ad responsive-ad adsense-responsive-ad responsive-aans-view-ad responsive-aans-view-b"> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2420009840005975" data-ad-slot="9030694024" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true" ></ins> </div><!--/.ad-container.adsense-ad.responsive-ad.adsense-responsive-ad.responsive-aans-view-ad.responsive-aans-view-b--> </div><!--/.outer-ad-container.adsense-outer-ad-container.adsense-responsive-outer-ad-container.responsive-aans-view-b-container--> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="31">In 2024, Gambia’s national assembly <a href="https://achpr.au.int/en/news/press-releases/2024-07-17/womens-amendment-act-2015-decriminalizing-female-genital-mutilation">considered</a> a bill to repeal its law against female genital mutilation and a Moroccan court <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/10/24/moroccan-court-overturns-landmark-marital-rape-conviction">overturned</a> the country’s first ruling to explicitly criminalize marital rape.</p> <blockquote><p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="14">The rate of intimate partner violence against women and girls is from <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2023/11/30/standing-up-against-gender-based-violence-gbv-in-africa-afe-1123#:~:text=In%20Eastern%20and%20Southern%20Africa,and%20communities%2C%20often%20across%20generations">40 to 65</a> percent </p></blockquote> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="40">These acts and omissions of governments indicate that a key challenge to the implementation of the Maputo Protocol is the lack of political will. Consequently, nineteen years later, protecting women and girls on the continent is still an uphill battle:</p> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="18">The rate of intimate partner violence against women and girls is from <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2023/11/30/standing-up-against-gender-based-violence-gbv-in-africa-afe-1123#:~:text=In%20Eastern%20and%20Southern%20Africa,and%20communities%2C%20often%20across%20generations"> 40 to 65</a> percent across Africa.</p> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <div id="responsive-aans-view-c-container" class="outer-ad-container adsense-outer-ad-container adsense-responsive-outer-ad-container responsive-aans-view-c-container"> <!-- google ad container for 'AllAfrica_ResponsiveAansViewC'--> <div class="ad-container adsense-ad responsive-ad adsense-responsive-ad responsive-aans-view-ad responsive-aans-view-c"> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2420009840005975" data-ad-slot="1507427226" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true" ></ins> </div><!--/.ad-container.adsense-ad.responsive-ad.adsense-responsive-ad.responsive-aans-view-ad.responsive-aans-view-c--> </div><!--/.outer-ad-container.adsense-outer-ad-container.adsense-responsive-outer-ad-container.responsive-aans-view-c-container--> <div id="in-article-p-mid"></div> <div id="aans-body-mid"></div> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="22">Other prevalent forms of violence against women and girls such as <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/13/addressing-obstetric-violence-africa">obstetric violence</a> are not recognized in the laws of most African countries.</p> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="27">Similarly, school-related sexual violence is experienced by <a href="https://www.nepad.org/blog/combating-school-related-gender-based-violence-africa-using-digital-technologies#:~:text=Combating%20School%2DRelated%20Gender%2DBased%20Violence%20In%20Africa%20Using%20Digital%20Technologies,-This%20is%20the&text=Alarming%20s"> 46 to 78</a> percent of adolescent girls in African schools, yet many have failed to acknowledge, tackle and prevent it.</p> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="26">As of 2022, Africa is the continent with the highest rate of femicide as <a href="https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/gender-related-killings-of-women-and-girls-femicide-feminicide-global-estimates-2022-en.pdf">over 20,000 women</a> and girls are killed each year because of their gender.</p> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="14">Most people trafficked for <a href="https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/2022/GLOTiP_2022_web.pdf">labour</a> and <a href="https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/2022/GLOTiP_2022_web.pdf">sexual exploitation</a> in Africa in 2020 were women and girls.</p> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="98">As the AU moves toward the adoption of a new convention, the focus should include generating political will among African governments to prevent and address gender-based violence against women and girls. This should be done by ensuring that government officials are themselves committed to ending gender-based violence against women and girls. To this end, African governments should declare and enforce a zero-tolerance policy on gender-based violence by government officials including through recognising such acts as grounds for removal from office and putting in place accessible and effective mechanisms to receive, investigate, and take action in response to complaints.</p> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <div class="newsletter-signup inread collapse w-background w-background-color blue" aria-expanded="false" data-campaign="Newsletter Signup InRead English v1" > <div class="inread-container"> <div class="row header"> <div class="col-tn-12"> <button type="button" class="close tracked" data-target=".newsletter-signup.inread.collapse.w-background.w-background-color.blue" data-toggle="collapse" data-event-label="Clicked X" aria-label="Close" > <i class="fa fa-times" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span class="sr-only">Close</span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="row body"> <div class="col-tn-12"> <img class="logo img-responsive" src="https://cdn07.allafrica.com/static/images/structure/aa-logo-rgba-no-text-128x128.png" /> <div class="cta"> <h4 class="cta-title">Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters</h4> <p class="cta-text">Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row newsletter-signup-form-container"> <div class="col-tn-12"> <form role="form" method="post" action="#" class="newsletter-signup-form"> <div class="mailings-selector"> <div class="mailings"> <input type="hidden" name="mailings[type]" value="user-selected"> <label class="checkbox-inline"><input type="checkbox" class="tracked" data-event-label="Clicked Checkbox" checked name="mailings[values][]" value="latest:en">Top Headlines</label><label class="checkbox-inline"><input type="checkbox" class="tracked" data-event-label="Clicked Checkbox" checked name="mailings[values][]" value="women:en">Women</label><label class="checkbox-inline"><input type="checkbox" class="tracked" data-event-label="Clicked Checkbox" checked name="mailings[values][]" value="africa:en">Africa</label><label class="checkbox-inline"><input type="checkbox" class="tracked" data-event-label="Clicked Checkbox" checked name="mailings[values][]" value="io:en">International Organisations</label> </div> </div> <div class="subscriber-info input-group input-group-sm" for="email"> <input type="email" class="form-control" name="email" placeholder="someone@example.com" required maxlength="128"> <span class="input-group-btn"> <button type="submit" class="btn btn-success btn-sign-up tracked" data-event-label="Submitted Form" data-enabled-text="Submit" data-disabled-text="Sending..." > Submit </button> </span> </div> <input type="hidden" name="campaign" value="Newsletter Signup InRead English v1"> <input type="hidden" name="_type" value="newsletter-signup"> <input type="hidden" name="_time" value="1732841236" /> <input type="hidden" name="_uuid" value="AAAAFVNhbHRlZF9fyPPwgwc8s2HtCUsY8PgzLoPdHXtt/qjPOqqWcneYHMvvD+rc0g+uj557dodPrYkrTLkLCRJ/gXk=" /> </form> <p class="privacy-notice">By submitting above, you agree to <a href="/misc/info/privacy.html" class="tracked" data-event-label="Clicked Privacy" target="_blank">our privacy policy</a>.</p> </div> </div> <div class="row messages"> <div class="col-tn-12"> <div class="message success alert alert-success" style="display:none;"> <h4> <i class="fa fa-check-circle" aria-hidden="true"></i> Success! </h4> <p>Almost finished...</p><p>We need to confirm your email address.</p><p>To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.</p> </div> <div class="message error returned-error alert alert-danger" style="display:none;"> <h4> <i class="fa fa-exclamation-circle" aria-hidden="true"></i> Error! </h4> <div class="returned-errors"></div> </div> <div class="message error generic-error alert alert-danger" role="alert" style="display:none;"> <h4> <i class="fa fa-exclamation-circle" aria-hidden="true"></i> Error! </h4> <p>There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.</p> </div> </div> </div><!--/.row--> </div> </div> <script> _ready.push(function($) { if ( ! loadjs.isDefined( 'newsletter-signup-assets' ) ) { loadjs( ["https://cdn01.allafrica.com/static/js/jquery/jquery.serialize-object.min.js?v=2024112800","https://cdn05.allafrica.com/static/js/newsletter-signup.min.js?v=2024112800","https://cdn05.allafrica.com/static/css/newsletter-signup.min.css?v=2024112800"], 'newsletter-signup-assets', { async: true, }); } // the newsletter widget calls storageAllowed(), which is imported with // the cmp bundle. passing an array of bundle names to loadjs triggers // the callback only after all of the listed bundles have fired. loadjs.ready( [ 'cmp', 'js-cookie', 'events', 'newsletter-signup-assets' ], function() { $('.newsletter-signup.inread.collapse.w-background.w-background-color.blue').newsletterInRead({ maxShowCount: 10, maxCloseCount: 3, maxSuccessCount: 1, }); }); }); </script> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="52">African governments should also work with women human rights defenders and women’s rights activists to research to understand the different kinds of gender-based violence against women and girls that exist in their countries. This research should be used to develop, enact, and implement gender-responsive laws, policies, and guidelines to address gender-based violence.</p> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="14">Gender-based violence against women and girls can end – if we want it to.</p> <p class="story-body-text" data-para-word-count="11"><em>Betty Kabari is a women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch</em></p> <div id="aans-body-end"></div> <script> loadjs.ready( 'lazyload', function () { const images = document.querySelectorAll('body.interior.story.aans.view .story-body img.lazy'); lazyload(images,{rootMargin:"200px 0px"}); }); ready(function () { fireLoadJSBundle('lazyload'); }); </script> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <div id="in-article-bottom"></div> </div><!--/.story-body--> <div class="cross-story-navigation"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-6 prev-next prev inactive"> <div class="prev-next-label"><i class="fa fa-angle-double-left" aria-hidden="true"></i>Previous Story</div> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-6 prev-next next active"> <a href="/stories/202411280075.html" title="Next Story: Launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children in Roodepan"> <div class="prev-next-label">Next Story<i class="fa fa-angle-double-right" aria-hidden="true"></i></div> <span class="headline">Launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children in Roodepan</span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="story-navigation-arrows"> <a href="/stories/202411280075.html" title="Next Story: Launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children in Roodepan" style="display: none;" class="story-navigation-arrow next"> <div class="item"> <div class="content"> <p>Launch of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children in Roodepan</p> </div><!--/.content--> </div><!--/.item--> <div class="arrow arrow-right"> <div class="icon">Next Story</div> </div><!--/.arrow.arrow-right--> </a><!--/.story-navigation-arrow.next--> </div><!--/.story-navigation-arrows--> <div class="row uninitialized" id="more-on-this-carousel"></div><!--/#more-on-this-carousel--> <script> "use strict"; _ready.push(function($) { if ( ! 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