The UPEACE Africa Programme and the Department of Gender and Peace Studies, in collaboration with the Dag Hammarskjöld Center for Peace, Good Governance, and Human Rights of the Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation (MEF) are organizing a Faculty and Staff Development Seminar on Gender and Peace Building, to be held in Kitwe, Zambia from the 26th to 30th of July 2004. Fahamu has been commissioned to produce a CDROM-based course on Gender, Violence and Conflict that is to be presented at the workshop. The CDROM focuses on masculinities and war.

As part of celebrating the decade of democracy, the Foundation for Human Rights in South Africa in partnership with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, invites civil society organizations to submit proposals in respect of programmes that deal with violence against women and children and which supports the efforts of women to take charge of their lives. Closing date for applications: 15 July 2004.

Multivitamins costing $15 per person per year significantly reduced the risk of HIV disease progression and death in HIV-positive pregnant women in Tanzania, according to a study published in the July 1st edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The investigators conclude that multivitamins would be a cheap, simple, and effective means of delaying the need for antiretroviral therapy in HIV-positive pregnant women in resource limited settings. An accompanying editorial praises the rigour of the investigators study, and although it calls for further studies into the benefits of multivitamins involving large populations it says that treatment programmes and doctors would be justified in offering multivitamins.

Through her conscious desire
or by the nature of circumstance:
foetus, became child, became sire
after nine months of worry and ascendance.

Through thick and thin or teething pains
over the first stumbles and mumbles
ever watchful she guided his first gains:
now pampered and fed he belches then grumbles.

Eons and amazons have come and gone
opinions, alas, remain much unchanged
via choice, creed or culture her lot is forlorn:
mother, sister, wife, lover or daughter she is unchanged.

Aproned for culinary, domestic or carnal servitude
or ornamented with the civilities of the “advanced” man
a woman she remains in search of global beatitude:
whereas it is ignored that rights are the woman.

Alex Dove Bangura

- Copyright © 28th June 04

A pressure group has accused African leaders of showing "indifference" to the plight of women, saying African women continued to suffer because laws put before the African Union (AU) a year ago to protect them had not been ratified. "African leaders continue to pay lip service to the rights of women," said Faiza Jama Mohamed of Equality Now, a member of the group, which also includes Oxfam, the Centre for Research, Education and Development, Fahamu and the African Women's Development and Communication Network FEMNET.

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights, in collaboration with CIRDDOC (Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre), highlighted violations of women’s rights in Nigeria that were viewed by the public as normal or even justifiable abuse. The organization used prominent people - a Nigerian Supreme Court justice, a member of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW) committee in Nigeria, lawyers, and representatives from the National Human Rights Commission - to create a high powered panel of “judges” to draw media attention and hear testimonies by women from many areas of Nigeria. The judges were selected based on their prominence and their concern for women’s rights. The tribunal’s recommendations was instrumental, at both local and national levels, in subsequent attempts to advocate for new laws and for reforms of existing laws related to violence against women.

“I urge all African States to ratify the Protocol immediately because African women's rights cannot be postponed.” - Graça Machel

The ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa is essential for the protection and recognition of African women’s rights. This is the general view of over 200 petitioners demanding that African governments ratify the protocol without delay. “Only when full equality and opportunity for men and women become the norm will the world move towards justice and peace,” wrote one petitioner.

And as Oxfam GB, Equality Now, FEMNET, CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and FAHAMU officially launched the international campaign on 29 June in Addis Ababa, the movement continued to grow rapidly as it emerged that the following organisations were campaigning for the ratification of the protocol:

1. UNFD - Union Nationale des Femmes Djiboutiennes;
2. National Human Rights Committee (Djibouti),
3. ACDHRS - African Centre For Human Rights and Democracy Studies (The Gambia);
4. CPTAFE - Cellule de Coordination sur les Pratiques Traditionelles Affectant la Sante des Femmes et fes Enfants, (Guinea);
5. COVAW Coalition on Violence Against Women (Kenya);
6. AJM - Association des Juristes Maliennes (Mali);
7. FDC - Fundacao Para O Desenvolvimento Da Comunidade (Mozambique);
8. Sister Namibia (Namibia);
9. WRAPA - Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative
(Nigeria);
10. Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (South
Africa);
11. WiLDAF - Women and Law in Development - West Africa (Togo/West
Africa);
12. AMwA - Akina Mama wa Afrika (Uganda);
13. WiLDAF Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
14. Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche en Droits de l'Homme et Démocratie;
15. Centre for Human Rights & Democracy Studies and Research (Democratic Republic of Congo).

As announced in Addis Ababa, the campaign will particularly target the 30 countries that have already signed the Protocol in a concerted effort to get the necessary ratifications for it to enter into force.

In collaboration with national women's and human rights groups, the coalition has already begun dialogue with government officials from several countries across the continent.

It is not only at the governmental level where a difference can be made, however. You can support the rights of women in Africa by joining over 200 people who have already signed an online petition telling African governments that they dare not delay in signing the protocol. Your signature will help give ammunition to the teams engaging with government officials.

Read the official petition statement and sign the petition now at: http://www.pambazuka.org/petition/petition.php?id=1

The Internet Café was set up to enable women and girls to have access to technology in an environment that does not continue to re-emphasise the stereotypes against them and where they can confidently gain skills without intimidation. Since its inception in the year 2000, the cafe has continued to be a source of inspiration to many women and girls.

No fewer than 50 women displaced in the on going military operations in selected riverine communities in Delta State, recently protested their eviction and appealed to the state to allow them and their families to return to their homes to save them the agony of being refugees in their own land. The women, most of them with babies strapped on their backs, besieged the Governor's Office, where they interrupted the weekly State Security Council meeting presided over by the Deputy Governor, Chief Benjamin Elue.

A recent report by Amnesty International has said that at least one out of every three women in the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in her lifetime - while the University of Cape Town has reported that at least four South African women are killed every day by an intimate partner. Zambia's police, however, are taking a number of steps - including actively pressing for tougher sentences - to tackle the problem in that country.

Women are the world’s great unsung conservationists, often outpacing men in their knowledge and nurturing of domestic and wild plants and animals, and it is thanks to them that many species survive while men sometimes turn to idling, gambling and drinking, according to a new United Nations book. The book, Women and the Environment published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights the key role women play, especially in developing countries where they are the farmers, the feeders and the carers in their communities, relying on an intimate understanding of nature to fulfil their many and varied roles.

“What do we mean when we use the word “gender”? While this may strike many as something of an irrelevant question, nevertheless it remains the case that diverse cultural contexts give rise to a range of possible interpretations and reactions to this term. For example, during fieldwork exploring gendered relations between peacekeepers and local women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, use of the word gender invoked suspicion and wariness amongst some of the peacekeepers-respondents to the study.” This is an extract from the fourth issue of the quarterly newsletter of The Gender & Peacebuilding Programme of International Alert entitled “Engendering Peace”. You can read the whole newsletter at the URL below.

High school girls who fall pregnant will no longer be expelled from their schools, the Swaziland Schools Headteachers Association resolved last week. The policy change overturns what has been standard practice since before independence, when Christian missionaries established schools in Swaziland. "Expelling pregnant girls is inhumane, because in most cases they are impregnated by boys who are allowed to carry on with their education, while the girl stays home," Themba Shabangu, Secretary General of the headteachers' association, said in a statement.

A coalition of civil society organisations including Oxfam GB, Equality Now, FEMNET, CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and FAHAMU on 29 June in Addis Ababa announced the launch of an international campaign urging member states of the African Union to ratify the African Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa without delay. The campaign will particularly target the 30 countries that have already signed the Protocol in a concerted effort to get the necessary ratifications for it to enter into force. The group will approach heads of state arriving for the upcoming summit, presenting them with a petition signed by individuals and organizations from across Africa including Graça Machel and supporters around the world urging swift ratification of the Protocol. Graça Machel emphatically stated, “I urge all African States to ratify the Protocol immediately because African women's rights cannot be postponed.” In collaboration with national women's and human rights groups, the coalition has already begun dialogue with government officials from several countries across the continent.

**Sign the petition on the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa at:
http://www.pambazuka.org/petition/petition.php?id=1

We urge member states of the African Union to sign, ratify and incorporate the protocol into their national laws and ensure women's rights are protected at the national level (Pambazuka News 162).
Lithur Nana Oye, Ghana

Sign the petition on the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa at:

Your Excellencies:

Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa

We the undersigned write to you regarding the ratification of the Protocol on the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa by member states of the African Union and urge your Excellencies to ensure the fast tracking of its ratification by your respective governments by the next Heads of States Summit in July 2004.

As you will recall, the Protocol was adopted in July 2003 during the Second Ordinary Session of the Heads of States held in Maputo. Its adoption was celebrated by African women, women's and human rights organizations in Africa and the diaspora as a major step towards finally securing a legal and rights framework for the protection and advancement of the human rights of African women.

However, one month before its first anniversary only 29 of the AU's 53 member states have signed the Protocol and only one (Comoros) has ratified it. This record undermines the stated intention of African governments to protect and promote the rights of all their peoples.

Many women and their families experience social, cultural and economic rights abuses and political discrimination on a daily basis. Physical violence, vulnerability to life-threatening diseases most notably HIV/AIDS, poor educational opportunities and legal barriers around rights to property combine to keep women in Africa as second class citizens as well as inhibiting their ability to contribute fully to the prosperity of the continent.

Our call for the urgent ratification of the Protocol by all countries of the African Union deserves your serious consideration. Ratification will send a clear signal that women and men can and should enjoy equal rights and responsibilities. This enjoyment, in turn, will realise benefits to the whole of the continent.

We in civil society share the dream of the Heads of States that Africa's social, economic and political well-being rests on enabling women's resourcefulness at this time. We trust therefore that you will recognize the urgency of the situation and will facilitate the speedy ratification of the Protocol thereby completing the good work that your Excellencies began in Maputo last year.

Yours Sincerely

African Women's Development & Communication Network (FEMNET)
Credo for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights, Rotimi Sankore - Coordinator
Equality Now, Faiza Jama Mohamed - Africa Regional Director
Fahamu, Firoze Manji - Director
Oxfam GB, Irungu Houghton - Pan-African Policy Adviser
and 200 others

MEETING THE GENDER PARITY TARGET OF 2005: A FAR CRY FOR AFRICA

1 The Planning Process for EFA in Africa
As African leaders and heads of state plan to join hands in the forthcoming AU summit in Addis next month, three years after appending their signatures to the Dakar Framework for action (EFA Protocol, 2000), civil society’s perception on progress made on EFA by African countries has mixed. While it is true that there has been a growth in the number of countries with ‘credible’ plans, this is far below the numbers expected and it is unlikely that the new target date of December, 2004 for participatory plans will be achieved in many countries. While countries like Tanzania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Senegal and others have achieved their plans, there is some confusion about whether these are separate EFA plans, chapters of national development plans, sector review reports, MDG action plans or sections of their Poverty Reduction Strategy papers. A number of countries who claimed to have developed plans prior to the Dakar Forum have not reported any revision of their strategies in a participatory way – Nigeria, The Gambia, Zambia, Ghana, fall into these categories. Therefore, while the UNESCO progress report of 2001 suggested only 7 countries have this work to do in 2002/03, a deeper analysis of the state of ‘plans’ reveals the problem is significantly deeper than one would otherwise gather. Significant political commitment is required to put participatory and credible plans in place which will enable countries to strategically tackle the challenges which the Dakar Framework presents. Key among them is gender parity in education and promotion of girls education in Africa.

2 Making EFA goals and MDGs Indivisible
Barely six months after Dakar, the world’s leaders gathered at the Millennium Summit and committed themselves to eight over-arching goals - the Millennium Development Goals. Two of these correspond directly to Dakar goals. However, in the process of implementing Dakar, a new trend of emphasis on the MDGs has become the basis for action. Countries are focusing on access to primary schooling and girls' enrollment as the key indices of success. The international community, led by the World Bank, has aggressively adopted these two goals as the central basis for their support. The only two resource packages in sight since Dakar – The World Bank Fast Track initiative and the Commonwealth Education Fund – focus their emphasis on these two goals. However EFA goals and MDGs should not be treated separately. It is upon African governments to look at both EFA goals and MDGs broadly as indivisible frameworks whose attainment relies on each and similar strategies. This will help in building synergy, harmony and concerted efforts towards accelerating gender parity not as alone ranging goal but as part of the wider targets for education development in Africa.

3 Achieving basic education as a Constitutional right
All the documents, from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, through the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and CEDAW, as well as Jomtien and Dakar Frameworks reaffirm the understanding that education is a basic human right. However, an analysis of most constitutions shows that this has not been translated effectively into national constitutions. With the exceptions of possibly Ghana, Kenya (Children's Act 2001 and the draft Constitution) and Malawi, there is no constitutional guarantee to the right of every individual citizen to education – even elementary or basic education. African leaders and governments should and must focus on this, as one of the priority areas. As long as basic education remain ‘a goodwill service’ devoid of constitutional provisions as a fundamental right girls access to education will continue to suffer a great deal. To unlock the potential of all boys and girls basic must be made not only accessible and compulsory but more importantly a constitutional entitlement. So all government policy documents should bestow elementary education as a fundamental right, allocate substantial funds to elementary education and reiterate commitment to close all gender and social equity gaps in accessing quality basic education for all citizens of the continent.

4 Financing of Education for Girls
Overall, financing to education continues to fall far short of the sums required to ensure access as set out in the Dakar Framework. Only very few countries like the Gambia and Senegal come close to the necessary budgetary allocations for achieving EFA – currently recommended at 26%. Most countries average between 5% and 10% with education often fairly low down on the list of national priorities – typically fifth or lower. Unless significant resources are mobilized into education, the MDG & EFA targets, particularly those on gender and girls education will remain a pipe dream. Governments must focus on national level resource mobilization to support EFA plans and initiate special funding mechanisms and sponsorship schemes to support girls education. This calls for affirmative action in allocation of resources to girls and boys from disadvantaged communities.

5 Participation of Girls in Education
Yes, more and more children are definitely coming to school and yes the teachers are also present, but one is left wondering how many girls in particular will actually complete the primary cycle with requisite skills. The tragedy is not that there is no demand for education or that people do not recognize the value of education in the overall growth and development of their children. Rather most of those children who do enroll are pushed from one grade to the next, thanks to the no-detention policy, that is if they are not pushed out of the system all together. School attendance varies across countries in the continent. Attendance rates too vary across different age groups - they decline as we move towards higher ages. This is more marked for girls in rural areas, where they decline by more than 50% for 10-17 year olds.

The situation is particularly bleak in rural areas, in urban slums and for children of communities who are at the bottom of the social ladder. The situation in these areas is fairly predictable - extreme poverty, low investment in primary education, low adult literacy, dysfunctional or poorly functioning schools, low learning achievements and high drop out rates. There are wide discrepancies between the percentage of boys and girls completing primary school. Moreover, for girls, socially disadvantaged groups, and those in rural areas, completion rates are lower. Equally disturbing is the distribution of out of school children by social group and by location, this is much more with rural girls belonging to disadvantaged groups. The real problem is that as we go down the social and economic pyramid, access and quality issues become far more pronounced. The vast numbers of the very poor in rural and urban Africa have to rely on government schools of different types. It is indeed the best time to make a decisive shift in the way education is envisioned - the demand side has never looked more promising. The overwhelming evidence emanating from studies done in the last 10 years clearly demonstrates that there is a tremendous demand for education - across the board and among all social groups. Wherever the government has ensured a well-functioning school within reach, enrolment has been high. The challenge for governments is to make public education relevant and of high quality so that parents and poor communities can reclaim their lost confidence in public and community education.

6 Quality, Diversity and Life Skills
Children who complete middle or even high school are left with almost no opportunity for continuing their education or acquiring employment or self-employment skills that could enable them to eke out a livelihood. Worse, there is no comprehensive policy to address the educational and training needs of educated youth. Basic, ordinary middle and high school education is not enough, particularly for girls. Given the changing scenario in the continent - especially with respect to the educational aspirations of our people - we have to seriously think about and plan for post-basic and or post-secondary education and training opportunities. Equally, linking education to empowerment (self-esteem/self-confidence), survival (for employment/self-employment), awareness of social, political and community issues and rights as citizens can yield handsome results for a continent that is experiencing unprecedented social as well as economic transformation.

Parents across Africa want to send their children - girls and boys - to school, but are at a loss in a situation where schools are dysfunctional. Also, teachers are not made accountable for learning outcomes of children, especially in the primary and middle-level schools where there are no agreed and child friendly evaluation benchmarks or systems.

7 Some conclusions and way forward
Access without quality is meaningless and quality is the essence of equity. There is little point in pushing children into schools if we cannot simultaneously gear the system to ensure children acquire reading, writing and cognitive skills appropriate for each level of education. This necessitates a multi-pronged strategy of bringing about changes in curriculum, classroom transactions, teacher training, classroom environment, teacher attitudes and school-community linkages. Working on any one of these without addressing related issues does not lead to significant improvement in the learning outcomes of children.

Creating multiple exit points, from post-primary onwards whereby children can access a wide range of technical/vocational skills (including agriculture, public/maternal health, nursing, social development, civic education and so on) is significant. Careful context specific planning has to be based on rigorous exploration of employment or self-employment opportunities and the resource base in the region. This is essential if we are to link education and training to life skills, governance, productive work and self consciousness.

While affirmative action for girls by way of reservations and special provisions does have a role to play, it is more than evident that in the last 20 years people from socially deprived communities (except for a tiny section) have remained at the bottom rung of the economic ladder. different educational institutions ensure that their literacy, numeracy, cognitive and critical thinking abilities remain poor. They enter adolescence and adulthood with little hope and are quickly sucked into a battle for survival that leaves little room for self-development. This reinforces prevalent ambivalence about appropriateness of formal education beyond the elementary level. Africa cannot hope to make a breakthrough unless the entire chain that binds education is addressed in totality. Piecemeal approaches have not worked in the past and are unlikely to do so in the future. This calls therefore for new approaches and comprehensive and broader sectoral reforms not only in education but in politics, economics and social development regimes.

Andiwo Obondoh works with ANCEFA - Africa Network Campaign on Education for All.

Note: the views expressed here are those of the author (collated from different papers) and not necessarily of ANCEFA since this paper has not been subjected to debate within the ANCEFA Network.

I would first like to congratulate the African Union for the adoption of this very important legal instrument which fills a gap cruelly felt by women and all those who fight to help women secure their rights so that they can fulfil their duties. For, we cannot forget that no one can fully discharge their duties if their rights are ridiculed or categorically ignored.

It is curious to note that important international instruments, which were enthusiastically adopted, have vanished from collective memory simply because the States that adopted them wilfully forget to ratify them. We therefore need to all mobilize to prevent this from happening with the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.

By adopting this Protocol, the African Union made significant progress in the protection of women and recognition of their rights. Now we must translate this political will into concrete action through its ratification.

The Protocol addressed several sensitive issues such as violence against women in general and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in particular, early marriages, divorce, involvement of women in socio-political decision making … all of which are deeply anchored in African societies and which governments are not doing enough to tackle at a national level.

The Protocol is a social, political, economic and legal instrument which protects African women and which by its title supplants pathetic political discourse for the benefit of women. The ratification of the Protocol is an opportunity for member states of the African Union to prove that they want to implement their political will to restore women’s rights. Those who do not ratify it will not convince anyone by making a few ministerial appointments to an insignificant number of women.

One cannot hide behind economic growth if the majority of the population, that is, women, cannot benefit from such growth because they are subject to discrimination and violence; moreover, is it really possible to have socio-economic growth if women are still confronted by these scourges?

The Protocol is not a gift to offer to women, it is their right. The member states of the African Union must therefore demonstrate their will to restore these rights by the ratification, and particularly the effective application, of this instrument.

In the Africa of wars and poverty, there is place for the rights of women. I am convinced that women who enjoy all their rights would play a pacifying role on our continent.

Girls that are uncircumcised, integrated, educated, married at a legal age, free from violence, empowered, and who participate fully in decision making at all levels: these are some of the results expected by the implementation of the Protocol. Which state would not want that for its citizens?

To ratify and implement the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa is therefore a priority for our states and all their citizens. Let everyone make a commitment to this goal!

* Dr Morissanda Kouyate is Director of Operations Of the Inter African Committee Secretary General CPTAFE ([email protected])

* Please send comments to

* For the French version of this article, please click on the link below.

Je voudrais d’abord saluer l’Union Africaine pour l’adoption de cet important instrument juridique qui comble un déficit cruellement ressenti par les femmes et par toutes celles et tous ceux qui luttent pour aider les femmes africaines à conquérir tous leurs droits afin qu’elles remplissent tous leurs devoirs. Car ne l’oublions pas, nul ne peut convenablement accomplir ses devoirs si ses droits sont bafoués ou catégoriquement ignorés.

The ratification of the protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, is one of three strong motions that was tabled by both ruling and opposition parties in Parliament on Tuesday.

The Council of Ministers of Mali has approved last Wednesday June 9th the ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) on the Rights of Women in Africa which was adopted in Maputo, Mozambique, on July 2003. The ratification has been submitted to the National Assembly to be adopted. Mali will then have to deposit its instrument of ratification at the African Union. This is according to a press release from Women in Law and Development in Africa.