News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International

AI INDEX: AFR 01/007/2003 21 July 2003

African Union: Adoption of the Protocol on the Rights of Women - positive step
towards combating discrimination and violence against women

The African Union's (AU) adoption of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in
Africa is a significant step in the efforts to promote and ensure respect
for the rights of African women.

Adopted on 11 July 2003, at the second summit of the African Union in
Maputo, Mozambique, the Protocol, among others, requires African
governments to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against
women in Africa and to promote equality between women and men.

The Protocol also commits African governments, if they have not already
done so, to include in their national constitutions and other legislative
instruments these fundamental principles and ensure their effective
implementation.

In addition, it obligates them to integrate a gender perspective in their
policy decisions, legislation, development plans, and activities, and to
ensure the overall well-being of women. The Protocol will enter into force
after fifteen states have ratified.

In March 2003, Amnesty International urged the African Union ministerial
meeting convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to agree on the measures to be
included in the Protocol to include provisions that would ensure greater
accountability of states to eliminate prejudices and practices that impede
African women's rights to equality and freedom from discrimination. The
organization also reiterated the need for African governments to send a
clear message that the human rights of women are inalienable, integral and
indivisible part of internationally human rights.

"Now that the Protocol has been adopted, African governments should show
their commitment to end discrimination and violence against women by
ensuring a speedy and full ratification to pave the way for a prompt entry
into force of the instrument, and its effective implementation," Amnesty
International said.

If fully ratified and implemented, the Protocol could become an important
framework for ending impunity for all attacks on human rights of women in
Africa." We urge all the fifty-three member states of the African Union to
pursue the process of ratification within the shortest possible time,"
Amnesty International said.

Background

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the
Rights of Women in Africa was adopted on 11 July 2003 by the Assembly of
the African Union second summit in Maputo Mozambique.

The Protocol will enter into force thirty (30) days after the deposit of
the fifteenth (15) instrument of ratification. The Protocol will complement
the African Charter in ensuring the promotion and protection of the human
rights of women in Africa. Its provisions include the right to life,
integrity and security of person, right to participation in the political
and decision making process, right to inheritance, right to food security
and adequate housing, protection of women against harmful traditional
practices and protection of women in armed conflict. Others include access
of women to justice and equal protection before the law.

The implementation of the Protocol will be supervised by the African
Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the body established to monitor
compliance of states parties to the African Charter, pending the
establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. Also,
states parties to the Protocol commit themselves to indicate in their
periodic reports to the African Commission the legislative and other
measures undertaken to ensure the full realization of the rights recognized
in the Protocol. The first African Union Ministerial Conference in May 2003
in Kigali, Rwanda calls upon member states of the AU to take all necessary
measures for early adoption, ratification of the Protocol.

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