Organizers of a campaign that seeks to pressure African states into ratifying the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa are confident that they will achieve the required number of ratifications for the Protocol to enter into force by the end of the year.

This follows intensive lobbying during the recently ended African Union Executive Council and Assembly meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by a broad coalition campaigning for the ratification of the protocol. The coalition is spearheaded by Equality Now, Femnet, Oxfam, Credo for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu. Fifteen ratifications are needed for the protocol to come into force.

Pambazuka News 162, the special edition produced by Fahamu in support of the campaign, was printed out and distributed in Addis Ababa. The edition featured prominently as a campaign tool in lobbying activities.

“It became a popular item at the Executive Council and also on the opening day of the summit. Anyone who could grab a copy did so. Through direct contacts and through the special issue of Pambazuka the activists reached a significant number if not all of the delegates present at the meeting. The activists also presented the special issue to the President of the Pan-African Parliament and AU commissioners urging them to support the campaign by attempting to influence the delegates in their various official capacities,” said a campaign report produced by Equality Now.

Meanwhile, the number of signatories to the online petition hosted on the Pambazuka News website continues to climb and has reached nearly 300. The petition remains active and supporters of the protocol are encouraged to sign.

Firoze Manji, Fahamu Director, said: “The African Union Executive Council and Assembly meetings have ended, but clearly pressure needs to be maintained in order to encourage African governments to ratify the protocol. We will therefore be continuing with the online petition so that people can voice their support for the ongoing campaign. We urge anyone who cares about the rights of women in Africa to immediately sign the petition.”

Fahamu is currently developing technologies to enable people to sign the petition using text-messaging (SMS). We hope to announce the launch shortly.

* Please click on the link below for the full report and details of national campaigns

Some of the most difficult human rights violations to address are customary or traditional practices based on deep-seated beliefs of a community or people, particularly practices that have a spiritual dimension. In the Trokosi system in Ghana, women and virgin girls are taken without their consent to fetish shrines to atone for sins or alleged crimes committed by family members. The practice occurs mainly in remote areas of the Volta Region of Ghana, which is dominated by an ethnic group called the Ewes. A coalition effort involving the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ, a constitutional and statutory body), International Needs Ghana (ING, an NGO), the National Commission on Civic Education (another constitutional body), and the traditional leaders from the Ewe communities, have succeeded in liberating thousands of young women and girls held in this bondage.