July
2015
SIERRA
LEONE TAKES HUGE LEAP FORWARD FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS
Like
a number of other countries in Africa, Sierra Leone’s ratification
of the Maputo Protocol marks a crucial step in the journey to accord
rights and protection to women and girls.
By Kavinya Makau
As we mark the 12th anniversary of the adoption of the Protocol
to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights
of Women in Africa, Sierra Leone gives us a reason to celebrate.
Earlier this month, following years of prolonged advocacy from local
and regional groups, it became the 37th African Union State to
ratify what is also known as the ‘Maputo Protocol’.
The Protocol guarantees comprehensive rights to women and provides
a formidable legal framework to address the violence and discrimination
against them. It was informed by African realities and negotiated
by Africans for Africans.
It calls for the elimination of discrimination against
women through a raft of prescribed interventions. It prohibits all
forms of female genital mutilation (FGM) as well as other harmful
practices. It recognizes the particular vulnerability of certain groups
of women including elderly women and women with disabilities. The
right of women to peace and their participation in the promotion and
maintenance of peace is upheld. It also promotes the rights of women
to live in a positive cultural context.
By ratifying the Protocol, Sierra Leone has made a progressive move
towards legal protection that will complement national laws relating
to women and girls. According to the Human Development Report (2014),
Sierra Leone’s Gender Inequality Index (GII) value of 0.643 ranks
it at 139 out of 149 countries.
Only 12.4% of parliamentary seats are held by women, and 9.5% of adult
women have reached at least a secondary level of education, compared
to 20.4% of their male counterparts. Mismanagement of the country’s
vast natural resources has contributed to a civil war that broke out
in 1991, leaving the country devastated. More than 50,000 people lost
their lives, over two million were displaced and the country’s infrastructure
destroyed. On the course of recovery, the Ebola outbreak has led the
country into a humanitarian crisis and further weakened the economy.
Other African states have made significant inroads too in ensuring
the rights in the Protocol are accessed by girls and women. On January
30, 2015, Tunisia’s president, Beji Caid Essebsi, proceeded to sign
the instrument at the headquarters of the African Union in
Addis Ababa, during the 24th African Union Heads of State Summit.
This means that of the 54 member states of the African Union, 37 countries have now signed
and ratified, meaning they are legally obliged to uphold it. 17
have yet to ratify and only two countries – Botswana and Egypt – have
not signed at all.
There have been commendable initiatives too on a regional
level. Last year, the African Union launched a campaign to end child
marriage in ten African countries, opening up an opportunity for dialogues
on practices such as child marriage and FGM, which grossly violate
the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls.
The expected change has already started to happen. Malawi
set the pace this year by banning
child marriage – a traditional practice that has seen half
the country’s girls end up as child brides. One female chief took
it upon herself to annul over
300 child marriages and asked them to return to school. It is actions
such as these, happening on the ground, which show the force needed
to bring the Protocol to life.
Sexual violence has been a complex challenge, but progress
is also being achieved. In April this year, following a campaign by Equality Now and
others, Sudan finally repealed
a law that would subject victims of rape being put on trial
for adultery – a crime that would lead to the victim being jailed,
flogged or even stoned. The Solidarity
for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) coalition continues to
advocate for the country of Sudan to ratify the Protocol, but commends
the efforts being put in place to address the discrimination of women.
Kenya also set a national precedent in April, when three
men were convicted and sentenced to 15 years for rape, and
seven years for causing grievous bodily harm to “Liz”, a 16-year-old
girl, who was gang-raped and left for dead in Busia County in 2013.
The case testified to the difficulties faced by women and girls trying
to seek justice and reparations. In a more
recent development, the government of Kenya was ordered to award
damages amounting to close to US$50,000 to two minors, defiled
by a teacher five years ago.
The African continent faces economic, social and political
challenges, but political will often demonstrates that these are not
insurmountable. In Nigeria, while all citizens have borne the brunt
of the jihadist group Boko Haram’s uprising against the government
and its people, there has been indiscriminate abuse and violations
subjected extensively and particularly against women.
While the former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was considered
to have failed to effectively address the Boko Haram insurgency, in
a bold exit move, he also left a legacy for the women of Nigeria,
when he signed the Violence
Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 on May 25, 2015. The
Act prohibits
FGM, spousal battery, among other violations.
With progress being made by brave and determined people
in many countries, the Africa we want for our girls and women, boys
and men, is getting closer by the day. – Third World Network Features.
-ends-
About
the author: Kavinya Makau is Programme Officer with Equality Now.
She leads the organization's work with the Solidarity for African
Women's Rights (SOAWR) coalition. Kavinya is a lawyer and has engaged
in Pan-African women’s human rights advocacy in a wide range of areas
including, peace-building, transitional justice, the intersection
between HIV & AIDS and Violence Against Women in conflict situations.
The above article is reproduced from Pambazuka News, 2015-07-15, Issue 735
When
reproducing this feature, please credit Third World Network Features
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