Background
The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, widely known as the Maputo Protocol, stands as one of the most progressive human rights instruments in the world. Adopted by the African Union in 2003, it sets out a bold vision for the dignity, equality, and bodily autonomy of women and girls across the continent. For the millions of women it seeks to protect, the Protocol is more than a legal text. It is a promise.
These guides are contextualised to Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda, and are produced by the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights Coalition (SOAWR) and its member organisations: Make Every Woman Count (MEWC), Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), Association des Juristes Sénégalaises (AJS), Baobab for Women’s Human Rights (Baobab), The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network), and Women’s Counselling and Information Centre (WCIC).
They offer a practical path from international and regional commitment to national reality grounding the Protocol’s standards in the specific legal, political, and social context of the four countries.
Why the Maputo Protocol Matters
At the heart of these guides are two of the Protocol’s most significant provisions: Article 5 calls on states to eliminate harmful practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), child marriage, and other customs that threaten the health and dignity of women and girls; while Article 14 guarantees women’s reproductive health rights, including access to family planning, safe maternal care, and lawful abortion in cases of sexual assault, rape, incest, or when a pregnancy endangers a woman’s mental or physical health.
These articles address some of the biggest threats women face: preventable maternal deaths, unsafe abortions, gender-based violence, and harmful practices that deny women control over their own bodies. The Protocol frames these issues not as matters of charity or moral debate, but as enforceable human rights.
Understanding ‘Domestication’
A treaty only changes lives when its standards reach the people it protects. Domestication is the process of translating international obligations into national law, policy, and practice so that rights become enforceable in domestic courts and through everyday government services. How this happens depends on a country’s legal system:
In monist states, ratified treaties are, in principle, directly applicable and take precedence over national law. Yet in practice, domestic courts and institutions rarely apply these standards, leaving a gap between theory and reality.
In dualist states, treaties do not become law on ratification alone. They require a deliberate act of Parliament to be incorporated and enforced. Until that happens, the Protocol’s promises remain aspirational.
In both systems, domestication is the bridge between commitment and lived experience. Closing that gap is the central purpose of these guides.
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