Maputo at 23: 23 reasons why the Maputo Protocol remains vital for women and girls in Africa

23 reasons why the Maputo Protocol matters for women and girls in Africa

1. It requires States to eliminate discrimination against women and girls.
   The Protocol obligates State Parties to address discrimination in law, policy, institutions, and practice, including by reforming discriminatory laws and challenging gender stereotypes.
2. It recognises women and girls as rights holders with inherent dignity.
   It affirms every woman’s right to dignity, respect, legal recognition, and protection from exploitation, degradation, and violence.

3. It protects the right to life, integrity, and security of the person.
   The Protocol requires governments to prohibit and address violations that threaten women’s lives, bodily autonomy, safety, and freedom.

4. It requires action to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls.
   It calls for legal, social, administrative, and institutional measures to prevent violence, support survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable.

5. It prohibits harmful practices, including female genital mutilation.
   The Protocol recognises the deep harm caused by practices such as FGM and obligates States to protect women and girls at risk.

6. It sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage and requires free and full consent.
   This is vital for ending child marriage and ensuring that marriage is entered into freely, equally, and with dignity.

7. It promotes equality in marriage, separation, divorce, and annulment.
   The Protocol recognises women’s equal rights within marriage and at its dissolution, including equitable sharing of joint property.

8. It strengthens women’s access to justice and equal protection before the law.
   It calls for effective access to judicial and legal services, legal literacy, and reform of discriminatory laws and practices.

9. It advances women’s equal participation in political and decision-making spaces.
   The Protocol supports affirmative action and other measures to increase women’s representation in public life.

10. It affirms women’s role in peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
    Women have the right to participate in the promotion and maintenance of peace, including in decision-making related to peace and security.

11. It protects women and girls in situations of armed conflict.
    The Protocol requires States to respect international humanitarian law and protect women, especially from sexual violence and other conflict-related abuses.

12. It promotes equal access to education.
    It calls on States to eliminate discrimination in education and create conditions that support girls’ and women’s learning.

13. It protects girls and women from abuse and sexual harassment in schools and educational institutions.
    Education must be safe, inclusive, and free from harassment, exploitation, and violence.

14. It advances economic and social rights.
    The Protocol supports equal access to employment, equal pay for work of equal value, social security, maternity protection, and economic opportunity.

15. It affirms women’s right to health, including sexual and reproductive health.
    This includes access to health services, information, and the ability to make informed decisions about reproductive health.

16. It recognises access to safe medical abortion in specific circumstances.
    The Protocol recognises access to medical abortion in cases of sexual assault, rape, incest, and where pregnancy endangers the mental or physical health of the mother, or the life of the mother or fetus.

17. It protects women’s right to food security.
    The Protocol calls for access to nutritious and adequate food, clean drinking water, and women’s participation in food production and supply systems.

18. It supports the right to adequate housing and acceptable living conditions.
    Women and girls must be able to live in safety, dignity, and conditions that support their wellbeing.

19. It links women’s rights to sustainable development and environmental justice.
    The Protocol recognises women’s right to participate in development planning and environmental decision-making, including access to land, credit, training, resources, and technologies.

20. It protects women who face heightened discrimination and exclusion.
    The Protocol includes specific protections for widows, elderly women, women with disabilities, women in distress, poor women, women heads of families, pregnant and nursing women, and women in detention.

21. It safeguards widows’ rights and women’s inheritance rights.
    It protects widows from inhuman, humiliating, or degrading treatment, and recognises their right to an equitable share in inheritance.

22. It requires remedies when rights are violated.
    The Protocol obligates States to provide appropriate remedies for women whose rights have been infringed and to ensure that these remedies are determined by competent authorities.

23. It calls for implementation, monitoring, and resources.
    The Protocol requires State Parties to implement it nationally, report on measures taken, and provide budgetary and other resources for full and effective implementation. 

Ratify. Domesticate. Implement. The promise of the Maputo Protocol should be a reality for every woman and girl.