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Ruth Butaumocho
African Agenda
On July 11, women across Africa and like-minded individuals beyond the continent celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Maputo Protocol.
It was a day to reflect on the gender equality narrative and the role the protocol has played in augmenting varying efforts to promote women ascendancy across.
The Protocol on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, better known as the Maputo Protocol is an international human rights instrument that provides comprehensive rights for women and girls in Africa.
It guarantees extensive rights to women, including the right to take part in the political processes, to social and political equality with men, improved autonomy in their reproductive health decisions, and an end to harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, among others.
It covers a broad spectrum of civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights and is considered one of the most progressive human rights instruments globally
Unlike other instruments, the treaty has been lauded as the most progressive, comprehensive and responsive in safeguarding the rights of women and girls across the African Continent.
A key milestone celebrated at the 20th anniversary was that out of the 55 African Union member States, 44 had ratified the protocol. South Sudan was hailed for being the latest entrant, having ratified the protocol on February 24 2023 and deposited the ratification with the African Union on June 7, 2023.
Since its inception, various other treaties and agreements to further promote gender equality have since emerged.
July 11, was one such anniversary that multitudes had to bow down to.
It had high fives, activists boldly wrote on their white boards of notable achievements the protocol had achieved around the continent.
In Tanzania, the Maputo Protocol aided the country’s court of appeal to uphold a landmark ruling against child marriages in 2019.
Through the provisions of the Articles 6(a) and (b) and 21 of the Maputo Protocol on the minimum age of marriage, consent to marriage, and right to inheritance, Mali had to review its age of consent for marriages from 16 to 18, after the African Court found the government to be in violation of the said legal provision in the protocol.
Who can forget how in 2019, the government of Sierra Leona was forced to allow pregnant school girls to go back to school after it was found to have breached Articles 2 and 12 of the Maputo Protocol which call on State parties to eliminate discrimination against women and girls and to guarantee equal opportunities and access to education?
Despite obstacles by other African countries to the full realisation of this human rights instrument which contains a number of ‘global firsts’ in relation to women’s human rights, Zimbabwe has been compliant to most of the dictates of the protocol.
In 2023, the country was hailed for making commendable progress in the implementation of the protocol and promotion of gender equality, during the celebrations of the Maputo Protocol@20 High Level Intergenerational Dialogue on Women in Political Participation (WPP) held last year in Nairobi.
The implementation of the protocol has made a difference in the lives of most women in the country, particularly the participation of women in politics and those running for high public office.
One of the milestones has been the implementation of 30 percent women’s quota at the local government level which have seen an increase in the number of female local councillors in various local authorities.
Having witnessed such feat in different spaces across Africa, thanks to the provisions of the Maputo Protocol, July 11 was a day for grandeur celebrations, moments of reflections and time to caucus on areas that needed consolidations
Conversations that took place in different spaces across Africa and beyond introspected on the gender equality trajectory, focusing on how the protocol had smoothened the somewhat rugged terrain to achieve positive results being witnessed today.
However, the reflective movements were not without their sad moments after it emerged that more steps need to be taken to actualise the promises of the Maputo Protocol to African women and girls, made by member states that ratified the treaty.
While acknowledging that significant progress had been made towards creating awareness and acceptance on the importance the rights of women and girls in Africa, a decline has been noted in female ascendancy across Africa.
A decline in sexual and reproductive health rights of women and child, a surge in girls dropping out of school and the decline of women’s participation in politics are some of the areas that have been flagged.
Elections that have been held in various African countries among them, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Zimbabwe and yet only a slight change has been recorded in female representation in the political architecture.
Suffice to say, Zimbabwe has made deliberate and progressive reports in ensuring gender equality across all sectors.
The need to deliberately increase the representation of women in politics is addressed through the Sections 120 and 124 of the Constitution which give women special representation in the Senate and the National Assembly. The provisions provide for a Gender Quota, which requires that the National Assembly reserved 60 of its 270 seats for women representatives.
With women’s representation in parliament up by just one percentage point since the Women’s Political Participation (WPP) Barometer in 2021, it would take until 2100—at this rate—for gender parity to be achieved.
The beauty about this trajectory is that 41 African countries now have quotas of one kind or the other at local and or national level. Africa is home to the global leader of WPP —Rwanda, with 61 percent women in parliament — but also one of the lowest Nigeria, at 4 percent.
Even the Speaker of Parliament for Zimbabwe, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, feels that gender equality in politics has remained an illusion in the country due to religious, cultural and lack of supportive structures for women candidates during elections.
Officially opening the HeforShe champions’ recruitment campaign workshop organised by the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus this week, Adv Mudenda said despite various national initiatives to support the participation of women in politics, their numbers have remained low.
“Gender political parity has therefore, remained an elusive mirage. There are a number of telling barriers that have led to this state of affairs.
“These include gender stereotypes and attitudes, cultural and religious barriers, lack of leadership expertise and experience, lack of education and lack of supportive structures as well as adequate resources for women candidates.”
Adv Mudenda called on women to consciously learn to celebrate each other’s achievements and make compelling efforts in feminine excellence.
He added it was commendable that the enforcement of the constitutional provision in the recent elections increased the number of women participating in politics.
Online Reporter