Women’s rights, gender inequality, and intersectional vulnerabilities: Exploring substantive transformative equality in the African continental and regional human rights systems 20 years after the adoption of the Maputo Protocol

By: Alejandro Fuentes, Annika Rudman

ISBN: 978-1-0672372-1-9

About the publication

This book, titled Women’s Rights, Gender Inequality, and Intersectional Vulnerabilities: Exploring substantive transformative equality in the African continental and regional human rights systems 20 years after the adoption of the Maputo Protocol, addresses a wide range of issues related to women’s rights, gender-based discrimination, abuse, exploitation, and violence. It shifts away from a formalist approach to equality, instead adopting a transformative perspective on human rights law. The objective is to assess the progress made by the African human rights system toward implementing substantive transformative equality for women and girls, while also identifying necessary improvements to achieve this goal.

The chapters in this book originate from the Regional Africa Human Rights Academic Network Conference 2023, held from 13-15 September 2023, at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Hosted by the Faculty of Law at Stellenbosch University, the conference was organised by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) with financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), in collaboration with its academic partner institutions (the Academic Network) under the Regional Africa Programme 2019-2024.

Contents

• Digital violence against women in Africa: Locating the role of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. By Susan Chenai Mutambasere and Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie
• Women as agents of transformative change: Implications for gender equality and climate justice. By Pamela Machakanja
• Cultural relativism and the role of resocialisation in the realisation of African women’s rights to a positive cultural context (article 17). By Anisa Mahmoudi
• Exploring the feasibility of the African Commission as an appropriate avenue for the advocacy of LBTIQ+ rights. By Marystella A Simiyu
• Breaking barriers: Examining the progress of family rights for lesbian couples in Kenya under the Maputo Protocol. By Ronald Kihali
• Access to justice for women with disabilities: Implementation of article 8 of the Maputo Protocol in Zimbabwe. By Linet Sithole and Cowen Dziva
• Mental health care for women in South Africa in light of the Maputo Protocol: Entrenching a gender-responsive approach in legislation. By Marietjie Lloyd