SOAWR Women CSOs unveil project to advance comprehensive women & girls health rights in Africa.

Bodily autonomy is a cornerstone of the Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, which entered into force in 2005 to advance comprehensive health and justice rights for women and girls.  

The Protocol is considered one of the most progressive human rights instruments globally, particularly because it provides legal, binding, and contextualized health rights for women in Africa

Various African States including Uganda have ratified the Maputo Protocol but according to member of Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR), they have attached reservations on specific articles such as chapter 14 on bodily autonomy, effectively lowering the minimum human rights standards within their jurisdictions  

The members ensuring embers in abid to advocate for full implementation of the protocol are going engage various stakeholders to discuss and pave ways to enhance the push for the health gender rights in the regional.

Members agree that despite the protocol’s role as a premier legal instrument for women’s rights in Africa, the Maputo Protocol is facing an intensifying backlash against gender equality, driven by conservative, cultural, and religious resistance that seeks to roll back hard-won rights.

During the launch of the project on Tuesday 11th March 2025 at Four Points by Sheraton hotel, Jackie Bless SIHA Country Coordinator in her opening remarks said that while Uganda ratified the Maputo Protocol there were reservation hindering full domestication of the protocol and the coalition is workimg hard to represent women’s voice on gender to advance the project on advancing bodily autonomy and integrity to ensure the Maputo protocol becomes a reality and give full attention to the gender issues.  

Key concerns raised by women organizations include the growing anti-gender sentiments including; explicit reservations on issues such as reproductive health, marriage, slowed domestications, cultural & religious resistance, shrinking civic space among others that threatens to erode protections for women and girls across the continent.

Williams Bucky Olabukunola from Akina Maama Waafrica while presenting her remarks said that there is a need to build a stronger solidarity among members to find out what is workimg out especially on the reservations through communicating to different regional countries.

Solidarity for African Women’s Rights Coalition (SOAWR), is a network of over 70 women’s rights organizations.

While 49 out of 55 African Union (AU) member states have signed the protocol, and 46 have ratified it as of late 2025, full implementation is slow.

SOAWR Women CSOs unveil project to advance comprehensive women & girls health rights in Africa. 

Bodily autonomy is a cornerstone of the Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, which entered into force in 2005 to advance comprehensive health and justice rights for women and girls. 

The Protocol is considered one of the most progressive human rights instruments globally, particularly because it provides legal, binding, and contextualized health rights for women in Africa

Various African States including Uganda have ratified the Maputo Protocol but according to member of Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR), they have attached reservations on specific articles, effectively lowering the minimum human rights standards within their jurisdictions 

The members ensuring embers in abid to advocate for full implementation of the protocol are going engage various stakeholders to discuss and pave ways to enhance the push for the health gender rights in the regional. 

Members agree that despite the protocol’s role as a premier legal instrument for women’s rights in Africa, the Maputo Protocol is facing an intensifying backlash against gender equality, driven by conservative, cultural, and religious resistance that seeks to roll back hard-won rights. 

Jackie Bless SIHA Country Coordinator in her opening remarks said that while Uganda ratified the Maputo Protocol there were reservation hindering full domestication of the protocol and the coalition is workimg hard to represent women’s voice on gender to advance the project on advancing bodily autonomy and integrity to ensure the Maputo protocol becomes a reality and give full attention to the gender issues. 

Key concerns raised by women organizations include the growing anti-gender sentiments including; explicit reservations on issues such as reproductive health, marriage, slowed domestications, cultural & religious resistance, shrinking civic space among others that threatens to erode protections for women and girls across the continent. 

Olabukunola Williams Bucky

Williams Bucky Olabukunola from Akina Maama Waafrica while presenting her remarks said that there is a need to build a stronger solidarity among members to find out what is workimg out especially on the reservations through communicating to different regional countries. 

Solidarity for African Women’s Rights Coalition (SOAWR), is a network of over 70 women’s rights organizations. 

While 49 out of 55 African Union (AU) member states have signed the protocol, and 46 have ratified it as of late 2025, full implementation is slow.