Day of the African Child: Advancing access to justice for girls in Africa through partnerships

Each year on June 16th, the Day of the African Child serves as a powerful reminder of the need to safeguard and advance children’s rights across the continent and  across the world. At Equality Now, this day provides a moment for us to pause and reflect. Our notable encounters with inspiring girls we have met and worked alongside across Africa; girls who are courageously challenging laws and systems that have long shackled their dreams and held them back through discrimination and violation. We are proud to stand with these girls and our partners, to amplify their voices and to challenge and change discriminatory laws, policies, and practices one at a time.

Recognizing that sexual violence is both pervasive and pernicious across the continent and robs children of their lives and dreams, our partnership with local organizations and stakeholders is therefore crucial. Together, we work to ensure that laws protect girls from sexual violence in all contexts, both private and public, and that when violations occur, justice is survivor-centered and expeditious.

Our reflection on this Day of the African Child is on the gains made. We recognize that the journey is not over but we must celebrate the wins. The victories of the girls, our partners and our collective efforts, have made a meaningful difference.

Here are a few highlights of the changes in law, policy, administrative structures and practice as a result of our strong and sometimes unlikely partnerships.

A multi-sectoral approach to addressing sexual violence in Kenya

In Busia, our collaboration with the Rural Education and Economic Enhancement Programme (REEP) has led to significant improvements in the way courts handle sexual violence cases against children. Through targeted advocacy and training for judicial officers, prosecutors and police officers, the duration of defilement cases has been reduced markedly from an average of 4–8 years to less than one year. This has expedited access to justice for child survivors and enhanced the efficiency of the legal system. Additionally, by amplifying survivors’ stories, the advocacy efforts contributed to the adoption of a Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Policy at the county level, paving the way for  increased  county resources in responding to sexual violence in the county.

In Kisumu, our partnership with the Kisumu Medical and Education Trust (KMET) has successfully mainstreamed gender, particularly SGBV issues across the County Government, both within the executive and the legislature.  This has resulted in an increased budget allocation for SGBV response and strengthening of response multi-sectoral structures within the court systems and in the county government. This mainstreaming has ensured the vulnerable persons including persons with disabilities access training and services in the prevention and response to SGBV. Additionally, we have strengthened the capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) to lead in protection and access to justice, significantly increasing community awareness and action against GBV.

In Meru, Migori and Kisii, as part of the broader  the Young Women for Awareness, Agency, Advocacy and Accountability (YW4A) programme consortium, we have supported partners, Inua Mama Mjane, CECOME, Safe Engage Foundation, YWCA Kisii and YWCA Meru, to integrate into the Court established platforms – the Court Users Committees (CUCs), to advocate for justice for girls and survivor-centered approaches to GBV. We have also mentored young women and educated them about their rights, the law and opportunities to take their future into their hands through advocating for change. These young women are now a force for change, championing gender equality and advancing policy and legal reform and implementation in their communities and at the county level. As a result of their advocacy, this culminated into the adoption of the Kisii Gender Mainstreaming Policy, the review of the Migori SGBV Policy and the development of the Meru SGBV Bill and establishment of an annual anti-SGBV festival in Meru to share the information with children in schools.

Addressing sexual violence against adolescent girls

In Tanzania, together with our partners Children’s Dignity Forum (CDF) and Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA), we successfully challenged the longstanding policy that expelled pregnant girls and adolescent mothers from school. This advocacy that amplified the lived experiences of Tanzania girls  led to a major milestone in November 2021, when the government issued Education Circular No. 2, allowing these girls to return to public schools. While this marked a significant step forward, we continue to advocate for comprehensive legal reforms, including amending the Law of Marriage Act to prohibit child marriage, amending the Education Act to remove provisions that permit expulsion due to pregnancy or marriage, and to prohibit mandatory pregnancy testing in schools.

In Sierra Leone, in collaboration with Women Against Violence and Exploitation in Society (WAVES) and Defence for Children International (DCI), we played a key role in facilitating the establishment of a multi-sectoral forum that brings together members of the judiciary, police, medical officers, civil society organizations, and other court users in addressing sexual offences. This platform has been instrumental in addressing delays in rape and defilement cases, fostering improved and more effective collaboration among stakeholders in at least three districts (Bo, Kenema and Freetown Capital).

In Zambia, in partnership with WiLDAF and WLSA, we supported the establishment of the Tisunge Ana Akea Coalition, which brings together organizations that address sexual violence against girls in all contexts and diversity. The coalition collectively advocates for the prevention and response to sexual violence against adolescent girls. Together with Tisunge and in collaboration with Zambia’s criminal justice system, including the office of the Chief Justice and the Ministry of Justice, we facilitated consensus on key actions to address SGBV. This included highlighting critical priority gaps that contribute to attrition of sexual violence cases in the court system and developing coordinated strategies accross the justice chain. We are encouraged by the potential of this multi-sectoral approach to transform access to justice for the girls of Zambia.

Strengthening legal protection for women and girls

In South Sudan in partnership with the SOAWR Coalition, CAPaD, YWCA Juba and SHWDO, we continued to foster meaningful dialogue between the government and civil society aimed at advancing crucial legal reforms. Our focus was on the domestication and implementation of the Maputo Protocol, as well as the finalization and adoption of the pending Anti-GBV Bill and the Family Law Bill. Through this collaboration, partners provided feedback and technical support in the review of the Bills and in breathing life into the Maputo Protocol so that the paper rights are translated into the lived reality for the women and girls of South Sudan. This has played a pivotal role in creating space for inclusive engagement and advocacy around gender justice and legal protections for women and girls.

While significant gains have been made this year both in legislating against sexual violence as well as breathing life into these laws to protect women and girls from violation,  a lot more needs to be done to end sexual violence in our lifetime.

On this Day of the African Child, we call on governments across the world to continue to prioritize  ending sexual violence by:

• Preventing the erosion and roll back on progressive laws that protect the African child from sexual violence.
• Protecting girls from violations by allocating sufficient resources to ensure the effective implementation of existing laws.
• Promoting good practice by engaging and educating communities about gender equality.

The journey is long, but  if we work together,  we can end sexual violence in our lifetime.