The draft of the report prepared for the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights by its Special Rapporteur on Women has just been received in Nairobi. The report reviews what is meant by violence against women in the context of international campaigns (using the example of female genital mutilation), national laws and the African Charter. It also examines the situation in three West African countries: Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone, in terms of domestic violence, state-sponsored violence and conflict-related violence with particular reference to refugee women. The draft text will be reviewed by an Expert Meeting in Maputo in March 2002 and the final version will be presented to the African Commission at its 31st Session, to be held in Pretoria on 2-16 May, 2002.
For more information, contact Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, Regional Programme Director, UNIFEM Nairobi Office.