The Maputo Protocol on Women’s Rights was adopted by the African Union in 2003 and came into force in 2005, bringing the promise to a greater degree of gender empowerment for women and girls on the African continent by 2030.
Unfortunately, this promise remains far from the objective of fulfilling the human rights of the majority of Africa’s population. In 2021, sub-Saharan Africa’s gender inequality index still performed worse than other regions of world. This situation makes the prospects of achieving the gender equality sought by different development agendas, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Africa Agenda 2063, seem unlikely.
This ACEIR study analysed the implementation and adaptation of the Maputo Protocol mandates across different African countries since its adoption.
Using data from the WORLD Policy Analysis Center, University of California, Los Angeles, the researchers categorised countries by the level of comprehensiveness in the protection of the rights of women and girls via an index that accounts for the degree of localisation and implementation of the protocol’s mandates. The analysis dealt with the progress on economic and social welfare rights; rights related to marriage (including child marriage); and the protection of women living with disabilities in different African countries.
Dissemination
Conference presentations
- 32nd IAFFE conference, July 2024.
