NGO RESOLUTION ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA

We, the participants of the Forum on the Participation of NGOs in the 56th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the 30th African Human Rights Book fair held in Banjul, The Gambia from 16th to 19th April 2015;

Recalling the African Union’s theme for the year 2015 of Women Empowerment and Development in the Realisation of Agenda 2063;

Acknowledging that the Maputo Protocol makes provision for the various rights of women in Africa and that States are required to report to the ACHPR on their obligations under the Protocol;

Concerned that women are subjected to tokenistic participation in key political and decision making spaces;

We the NGO participants,

Call Upon the African Commission to: 

1. Call upon member states to protect and safeguard women and girl’s sexual and reproductive health rights, including but not exclusive to providing safe abortion services to women; 

2. To review and repeal punitive laws relating to abortion; preventing forced sterilization and providing adolescent friendly sexual reproductive health education and services; 

3. Call upon member States to adopt the African Union Land Policy and Initiative to promote women’s access to land and development; 

4. Encourage member States to report on measures taken to enhance women’s representation and participation in political and decision making spaces; 

5. Call upon States to put in place policies and laws to ensure that young adolescent girls are able to continue with their education in a safe and protective environment during and after pregnancy; 

6. Encourage member States to ensure that women are actively involved at the inception, development and implementation of peace and mediation processes in Africa. 

Done in Banjul, The Gambia – 19th April, 2015