| |
|
Date Added to
Site: 20th January 2006 |
| |
Short Summary
|
| Title |
The Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa:
An Instrument for Advancing Reproductive and Sexual Rights |
| Author |
Center for Reproductive Rights |
| Publication
Date |
June 2005 |
| Publisher |
Center for Reproductive Rights |
|
Short Summary |
In July 2003, the African Union adopted a landmark
treaty known as the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. As
of May 2005, 10 out of 15 countries had ratified the agreement. The
Protocol provides broad protection for women's human rights and affirms
reproductive choice and autonomy as a key human right. It is the first
time that a legally binding international human rights instrument
has explicitly articulated a woman's right to abortion when pregnancy
results from sexual assault, rape or incest; when continuation of
the pregnancy endangers the life or health of the pregnant woman.
Also a first is the call for the prohibition of harmful practices
such as female circumcision. This briefing paper explains the provisions
of the Protocol and provides suggestions on how it can be used by
African women to exercise their reproductive rights and how governments
can be influenced in their implementation of the Protocol's obligations.
Recommendations include:
• Advocating for the Protocol to be ratified by 15 states before it
comes into force
• Lobbying policymakers to reform national laws in accordance with
the sexual and reproductive rights guaranteed in the protocol.
• Using the courts to uphold the State's international obligations
to protect women's human rights
|
| Summary Source |
Adapted from Author |
| Complete Document |
 View
PostScript Document (pdf) |
