Source: AfricanFeminism, written by Namuddu Ann Lindah Mubeezi For the last 16 years, the legal protection and advocacy for the sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) of African women and girls has had the backing of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, also commonly known as the Maputo Protocol.  The African Union adopted the protocol in 2003, and it was ratified by the required 15-member nations to enter force in 2005. It is a legally binding instrument that citizens and human rights defenders can use to hold African