25th September 2024

Shadow report on the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’s 7th to 10th Periodic Reports (2015-2023) on the implementation of the Maputo Protocol

The Shadow Report on the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’s 7th to 10th Periodic Reports (2015-2023) on the Implementation of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol), submitted on April 23, 2024, highlights the country’s progress, successes and challenges in effectively implementing the Maputo Protocol. The report is a collaborative effort by Equality Now, the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), the Network of Ethiopian Women Association (NEWA), the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC), Ethiopian Women Rights Advocate (EWRA), TIMRAN, and the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA). Equality Now provided technical guidance and support to the platform of organisations in the development of the Shadow Report and in its subsequent submission to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

What is the purpose of the report?

The Shadow Report makes numerous recommendations for legal reforms, better implementation of existing laws, and specific actions to address violence, discrimination, and sexual and reproductive health care issues for women. It further emphasizes the need for gender-sensitive policies and practices across all sectors and levels of Government.

Who’s it for?

  • African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
  • Law and policymakers
  • Legal professionals
  • Government institutions

Key recommendations

  • Legal reform: Adopt and amend laws to comprehensively address violence against women and girls (VAWG), including better definitions of sexual harassment, banning child marriage, increasing penalties for FGM, and prohibiting corporal punishment at home.

  • Gender-sensitive mechanisms: Establish and resource procedures and institutions for reporting, investigating, prosecuting, and protecting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), ensuring alignment with international standards.

  • Support and accountability: Enhance coordinated rehabilitation and psychological support for survivors, ensure transparent and speedy criminal investigations and trials, and strengthen measures against trafficking and sexual violence.

  • Awareness and data management: Promote training and awareness-raising for officials and communities, implement effective data collection on SGBV cases, and finalise guidelines on child maintenance and protection efforts.

Explore more resources

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Backlash on addressing inequality in Georgia: Submission to GREVIO for the first  round of thematic evaluation, 6 February 2026

Equality Now’s GREVIO submission on Georgia highlights backsliding on gender equality, shrinking space for human rights NGOs and remaining gaps in sexual violence response: non-consent-based rape laws, insufficient services for survivors and retraumatising practices.

Ending discrimination in family law: Joint submission by Equality Now, the Hurra Coalition, GCEFL, and Asuda to CEDAW on Iraq

Joint Eastern and Southern Africa Civil Society Forum Declaration Communiqué to End Child Marriage

Equality Now, together with civil society organisations from across Eastern and Southern Africa, issued a joint declaration on International Human Rights Day, reaffirming child marriage as a human rights violation and calling for coordinated, rights-based action to translate laws and commitments into protection, justice, and dignity for girls across the region.

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