12th mayo 2026

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on the Occasion of the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Achieve legal equality Africa

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Summary
What’s included in the statement?
Who’s it for?
Key recommendations and takeaways

Equality Now’s statement to the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) calls for urgent legal and policy reforms to advance gender equality and strengthen protections for women and girls across Africa. The statement also highlights persistent discrimination in family law, barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights, ongoing harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM), gaps in accountability for sexual and gender-based violence, and the growing threat of technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

We urge Member States and the ACHPR to fully implement the Maputo Protocol through survivor-centered, gender-transformative legal reforms, stronger accountability mechanisms, and coordinated regional action that protects the rights, dignity, and equality of women and girls.

What’s included in the statement?

Calls for legal reforms on family law, including equitable distribution of matrimonial property and recognition of unpaid care and non-financial contributions
Advocacy for survivor-centered sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) reforms
Recommendations to strengthen laws and enforcement mechanisms addressing FGM, marital rape, sexual offences, and broader sexual and gender-based violence
Calls for South Sudan to domesticate and implement the Maputo Protocol and enact key gender equality legislation
Concerns about technology-facilitated gender-based violence and recommendations for stronger digital governance, accountability, and gender-responsive protections

Who’s it for?

African Union institutions and human rights mechanisms
National governments and policymakers
Civil society organisations and women’s rights advocates
National Human Rights Institutions
Legal practitioners and human rights experts
Traditional and religious leaders engaged in community-level change

Key takeaways and recommendations

Fully implement the Maputo Protocol through gender-transformative legal reforms, including recognition of unpaid and non-financial contributions in matrimonial property distribution
Centre survivors’ lived experiences in SRHR, sexual violence, and justice reforms through survivor-centered laws, remedies, and accountability mechanisms
Enact, strengthen, and enforce laws addressing FGM, marital rape, sexual offences, and all forms of sexual and gender-based violence
Domesticate and harmonize national laws with regional human rights standards, including adoption of key gender equality laws in South Sudan
Strengthen digital governance and corporate accountability frameworks to address online harms, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and digital inequality

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8 de octubre de 2026

3 pages

Intervention on the Activity Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons

Read Equality Now’s statement calling for equal nationality rights for women and their families in Africa, and stronger measures to ensure the AU Nationality Protocol advances gender equality and protects against statelessness.

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on Agenda Item 5 Of the 89th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR

Equality Now calls for stronger implementation of the Maputo Protocol to protect women’s and girls’ rights across Africa. Our statement to the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights urges ratification without reservations, withdrawal of existing reservations, submission of outstanding state reports, and development of a progressive continental framework to advance equality in marriage and the family.

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on the Occasion of the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Equality Now calls on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to safeguard existing human rights protections, protect women human rights defenders, tackle sexual and gender-based violence, urge Mali to criminalise female genital mutilation, and advance survivor-centred digital governance.

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on the Occasion of the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

What’s included in the statement?

Who’s it for?

Key takeaways and recommendations

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More information

Explore more resources

Intervention on the Activity Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on Agenda Item 5 Of the 89th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on the Occasion of the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on the Occasion of the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

What’s included in the statement?

Who’s it for?

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Key takeaways and recommendations

About

Languages

Classification

More information

Explore more resources

Intervention on the Activity Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on Agenda Item 5 Of the 89th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on the Occasion of the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

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