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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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

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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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12 de mayo de 2026

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Statements
Achieve legal equality
Africa

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For more information, contact programs@equalitynow.org.

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5 de mayo de 2026

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on Agenda Item 5 of the 87th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR

As the African Commission adopts a new Advocacy Framework to strengthen implementation of the Maputo Protocol, a parallel effort to introduce a regressive Charter risks undermining decades of progress. Equality Now calls for decisive action to safeguard existing protections, ensure accountability from Member States, and work collaboratively with community leaders to advance a future where the rights of women and girls are fully realised.

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