20 Years Since the Entry into Force of the Maputo Protocol

Women's Rights on the 21st Century’s African Agenda Under Review

Abstract

On November 5, 2005, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, also known by its place of adoption as the Maputo Protocol, entered into force. As a milestone on the African continent, and to commemorate its twenty-fifth anniversary, this article begins with an articulation of women's rights within both the Organization of African Unity and its successor, the African Union. Then, it analyzes the normative instruments on this subject within the African human rights system, of which the Protocol is at its core. This article will also serve as a prelude to moving from theory to implementation and proceeding to study the role of the system's safeguarding and monitoring mechanisms with regard to women's rights in Africa. The research shows that, despite the safeguarding elements present in the regulatory instruments and the work of the system's guarantee and oversight mechanisms, there are still interconnected challenges that need to be overcome so that the theoretical framework can be translated into reality on the continent.