‘Celebrating the Maputo Protocol at 20: Progress, Challenges and the Way Forward’
DATES: 30 August 2023
LOCATION: Zoom Meeting
Please RSVP to naomi@saifac.org.za in order to receive the link to the seminar
About the Event:
DESCRIPTION:
The 11th of July 2023 marked twenty years since the adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol). This human rights instrument has had a significant impact on the landscape of women’s rights throughout the African continent. As we celebrate the anniversary of the Protocol and Women’s Month in South Africa, it is a fitting time to reflect on the progress, and challenges faced since the adoption of the Protocol in advancing women’s rights in Africa. A particular focus will be on the Protocol’s impact on sexual and reproductive health rights, as well as its role in addressing violence against women in Africa.
The panellists will consider the following questions:
How has the Maputo Protocol transformed the legal landscape of women’s rights within the African continent over the past two decades? What have its concrete achievements been?
Has the Protocol contributed to the enhancement of women’s bodily autonomy?
What challenges persist in the effective enforcement and realisation of the Maputo Protocol particularly in contexts where customary practices and societal norms diverge from its tenets?
How has the Protocol bolstered efforts to combat various forms of violence against women, and what strategies have proven effective in addressing such challenges?
What lessons can be drawn from the experiences of African countries that have made significant progress in implementing the Protocol, and how can these lessons be applied to advance women’s rights across the continent?
What changes – both substantive and institutional – are needed to better give effect to the Protocol in its next 20 years?
The Panel:
Adetokunbo Johnson (Lecturer in the Politics of the Global South, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, UK)
Kerigo Odada (Legal Researcher and PhD Candidate, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria)
Matilda Lasseko-Phooko (Programme Manager: Women’s Rights Unit, Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria)