[women-rights] African Union adopts protocol on the rights of African women

EQUALITY NOW

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE			CONTACT: LAKSHMI ANANTNARAYAN
July 14, 2003					   (212) 586-0906
							   lanant@equalitynow.org

AFRICAN UNION ADOPTS PROTOCOL ON THE RIGHTS OF AFRICAN WOMEN

RIGHT TO ABORTION ARTICULATED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN INTERNATIONAL LAW

New York, July 14, 2003 - On 11 July 2003, the African Union adopted the
Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, a supplementary protocol to the
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, which was adopted in 1981.
Advancing the human rights of African women through creative, substantive
and detailed language, the new Protocol covers a broad range of human rights
issues.  For the first time in international law, it explicitly sets forth
the reproductive right of women to medical abortion when pregnancy results
from rape or incest or when the continuation of pregnancy endangers the
health or life of the mother.  In another first, the Protocol explicitly
calls for the legal prohibition of female genital mutilation.

In other equality advances for women, the Protocol calls for an end to all
forms of violence against women including unwanted or forced sex, whether it
takes place in private or in public, and a recognition of protection from
sexual and verbal violence as inherent in the right to dignity.  It endorses
affirmative action to promote the equal participation of women, including
the equal representation of women in elected office, and calls for the equal
representation of women in the judiciary and law enforcement agencies as an
integral part of equal protection and benefit of the law.  Articulating a
right to peace, the Protocol also recognizes the right of women to
participate in the promotion and maintenance of peace.

The broad range of economic and social welfare rights for women set forth in
the Protocol includes the right to equal pay for equal work and the right to
adequate and paid maternity leave in both private and public sectors.  It
also calls on states to take effective measures to prevent the exploitation
and abuse of women in advertising and pornography.  The rights of
particularly vulnerable groups of women, including widows, elderly women,
disabled women and "women in distress," which includes poor women, women
from marginalized population groups, and pregnant or nursing women in
detention, are specifically recognized.

Equality Now, an international human rights organization, convened a meeting
in January 2003 of African women's rights activists to facilitate a
collective review of the draft and coordinated advocacy for the adoption of
a text that would truly advance the rights of African women in international
law.  Subsequent concerted lobbying of African governments by
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and networks all over Africa on a
consensus text resulted in significant gains to the original draft.  The
Africa Office of Equality Now, based in Nairobi, acted as a liaison with the
African Union to push for expert discussion of the Protocol as well as
strong NGO representation in the process.

The final Protocol is indicative of the achievements that can be made when
governments and civil society use their collective resources to advance the
cause of human rights.  "The adoption of this Protocol marks a significant
step forward in promoting the rights of women within Africa and we hope lays
the groundwork for further gains for all women around the world," said Faiza
Jama Mohamed, Equality Now's Africa Regional Director.



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