THE Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is intensifying efforts to ensure the swift ratification and domestication of the African Union (AU) Convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls.
The Convention which was adopted by the AU assembly in February this year, came under the spotlight during Tuesday’s Pan African Parliament sitting in Midrand, South Africa.
During the session, emphasis was placed on the importance of ratifying and domestically enacting some of the convention’s clauses.
“This convention is grounded in addressing the realities and challenges that girls and women face. It addresses women in conflict zones, silenced by stigma and fear. It obligates member states to prosecute perpetrators. We must confront our challenges. Statistics indicate that one in three women in Africa faces violence in her lifetime. According to Nelson Mandela, freedom cannot be achieved until women have been emancipated from all forms of violence,” the Special envoy on women, peace and security for the African Union Commission, Ambassador Liberata Mulamula said.
“This convention is a decisive stride in the protection of the rights of girls and women in Africa. Everyone has a mandate to represent the voice of Africa. PAP must mobilise regional and national parliaments to plead for the widespread ratification of the protocol. Ratifying and domesticating the Maputo Protocol calls for the enforcement of women’s rights to be respected,” PAP Chairperson of the Women Caucus, Honourable Amina Tidjani Yaya added.
The African Union Commission on Human and Peoples Rights contends the convention builds upon existing frameworks tailored to address contemporary challenges and an effective response to all forms of violence against women and girls.
“The AU has adopted several declarations and strategies, such as the 2014 Addis Ababa Declaration on Ending Child Marriage in Africa, the 2017 AU Gender Strategy, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, all of which address gender-based violence, either directly or indirectly.
“The AU has established institutional mechanisms such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, especially through the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, and at the level of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child,” ACHPR Vice Chairperson, Commissioner Janet Sallah Njie said.
Tuesday’s debate also focused on the participation of the Pan African Parliament in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) and debate on the impact of the United States’ visa restrictions and Tariffs on Africa.
