At the recently concluded 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, a leading pan-African human rights organisation has issued a stark warning about the continued widespread violations of women’s and girls’ human rights across the continent.

Equality Now, which works globally and across Africa to protect and promote the rights of women and girls, told the Commission that despite powerful regional legal frameworks, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Maputo Protocol,many African governments are failing to turn these commitments into real protection and justice on the ground. Issues highlighted include continued sexual and gender-based violence, weak enforcement of laws, systemic barriers to justice, gaps in reproductive health rights, and rising anti-gender backlash that threatens hard-won legal protections.

To help us understand the scale of these challenges and what must be done, we speak now with Gicuku Karugu, Program Officer at Equality Now.

At the recently concluded 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples&rsquo; Rights, a leading pan-African human rights organisation has issued a stark warning about the continued widespread violations of women&rsquo;s and girls&rsquo; human rights across the continent.
Equality Now, which works globally and across Africa to protect and promote the rights of women and girls, told the Commission that despite powerful regional legal frameworks, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples&rsquo; Rights and the Maputo Protocol,many African governments are failing to turn these commitments into real protection and justice on the ground. Issues highlighted include continued sexual and gender-based violence, weak enforcement of laws, systemic barriers to justice, gaps in reproductive health rights, and rising anti-gender backlash that threatens hard-won legal protections.
To help us understand the scale of these challenges and what must be done, we speak now with Gicuku Karugu, Program Officer at Equality Now.

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