The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), a pan-African network working to promote women’s human rights in Africa launched, on 24/10/2010, a book on the freedom of information (FOI) and women’s rights in Africa at the third and final day of the African Union (AU) pre-summit on gender in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia The chairperson of FEMENT Mama Koite Doumbia

In 2003, the Africa Union (AU) adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. Today, only 27 countries have ratified. It is only Rwanda, to the best of my knowledge, that has done a comprehensive review of its laws to {{to make them compatible with the AU women’s protocol.

Read SOAWR’s policy briefing ‘How States can deliver on the AU Declaration for an African Women’s Decade 2010-2020’ for African delegations attending the AU Ministerial Conference of Gender Ministers and the 8th African Regional Conference on Women to review 15 years of the Beijing Platform of Action.

Friday 11th July 2014 marks the 11th Anniversary of the adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (“The Maputo Protocol”) by AU states. It has been described by women’s rights law experts as one of the most progressive women’s human rights instruments in the world, with articles addressing inter alia development, peace, violence against women, sexual and reproductive health rights amongst others.