MEWC's report summarises the progress made by African countries regarding women's rights and gender equality on the continent during the first year of the African Women's Decade.

This is done by presenting each country on the continent with a background and a presentation of progress and developments made within different areas, with importance for the human rights of women and gender equality. The report is divided into sections according to regional visions of the African continent, and the countries are then presented individually.

MEWC will publish one report yearly throughout the 10-year duration of the African Women’s Decade. The purpose of the report is to provide an overview of women's rights situation in Africa. It is important to keep track of countries progress with regards to gender equality in Africa for several reasons. It is a way of keeping track of the progress made on the continent and will thus function as a resource for developments throughout the decade. It is also an important tool when advocating for change, as developments regarding progress on gender issues will be made available. Furthermore, the report can function as an incentive for countries to improve their efforts in the areas of gender equality and the human rights of women.


PS: For the last 3 years, we have been doing these reports without any financial help. As an organisation runs entirely by volunteers, monitoring all 54 Africans countries is a lot of work. In order for us to continue doing our work, we need your help. Please consider Donate Now to keep us going or if you would like to help us getting financial help, please get in touch at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Many thanks

 

 

 

The year 2020 marked the end of the first African Women’s Decade (AWD), under the theme “Grassroots Approach to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment,” which had been launched on 15 October 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya. During the AWD 2010–2020, the African continent demonstrated its commitment to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is remarkable that most African countries made significant progress regarding gender equality through the introduction of legal and constitutional tools and institutional gender mechanisms, as well as the development of appropriate conditions for women to evolve. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that a number of barriers remain and have hindered the implementation of AWD’s goals, including resource-related and socioeconomic constraints; cultural obstacles; electoral violence; gender-based violence (GBV); harmful practices; and restrictions on property ownership. Moreover, the COVID-19 outbreak has disproportionately affected women, leading to further injustice. With this report, Make Every Woman Count’s main goal is to ensure the continuation and evolution of Africa’s discourse on women’s rights beyond the AWD 2010–2020. In this aim, the report provides an analysis of the progress made on the African continent in terms of securing, realising and extending the rights of African women and girls during the AWD 2010–2020.
Key Findings of the African Women's Decade 2010-2020 Report
L’année 2020 a marqué la fin de la première Décennie de la Femme Africaine (DFA), dont le thème était « Approche locale de l’égalité des sexes et de l’autonomisation des femmes» et qui avait été lancée le 15 octobre 2010 à Nairobi, au Kenya. Au cours de la DFA 2010-2020, le continent africain a démontré son engagement à promouvoir l’égalité des sexes et l’autonomisation des femmes. Il est remarquable que la plupart des pays africains aient réalisé des progrès significatifs en matière d’égalité des sexes grâce à l’introduction d’outils juridiques et constitutionnels ; et de mécanismes institutionnels en matière de genre, ainsi qu’au développement de conditions appropriées pour l’évolution des femmes. En même temps, il est important de reconnaître qu’un certain nombre d’obstacles subsistent et ont entravé la mise en œuvre des objectifs la DFA, notamment les contraintes liées aux ressources et les contraintes socio-économiques, les obstacles culturels, la violence électorale, la violence fondée sur le sexe (VFS), les pratiques néfastes et les restrictions à la propriété. En outre, l’épidémie de COVID-19 a touché les femmes de manière disproportionnée, ce qui a entraîné une injustice supplémentaire. Avec ce rapport, Make Every Woman Count a pour objectif principal d’assurer la poursuite et l’évolution du discours africain sur les droits des femmes au-delà de la DFA 2010-2020. Dans ce but, le rapport fournit une analyse des progrès réalisés sur le continent africain en termes de sécurisation, de réalisation et d’extension des droits des femmes et des filles africaines au cours de la décennie 2010-2020.

Considering that equal access of men and women to power is a necessary precondition for democracies to flourish, our 2017- 2018 report focuses on women’s role in decision-making and leadership in key positions and at all levels. Nowadays, women leaders have an enormous potential to influence decision-making, by promoting fairer policies and practices in governments, parliaments, the judiciary and the private sector. Even though women play a crucial role in all the above fields, previous reports have mainly focused on women in governments and parliaments. In other words, this report goes beyond limitations and seeks a holistic approach with regard to women’s participation in all spheres of decision-making such as women MPs, women ministers, women in the judiciary, women in the private sector. Read the full report here

 

AWDCover 2018

Just few years ago in December 2008, a proposal for an Africa Women’s Decade (2010-2020) was initiated by the African Union (AU) Ministers for Gender and Women Affairs at their meeting held in Maseru, Lesotho. The idea was adopted in February 2009 by the AU at the 12th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As we are now halfway- into the African Women’s Decade, it is time to ask ourselves; ‘Where are we now in terms of women’s rights on the continent? read more...

Four years since the launch of the African Women’s Decade 2010-2020, African Women’s rights activists and organisations have a lot to be proud of. Thanks to their efforts, there have been some important strides in terms of legislation, education, and the presence of women in decision-making across the continent. The year 2014 was a significant year in terms of legislation changes for institutional support to facilitate healing and justice for women survivors of sexual violence. read more...

Three years on since the launch of the African Women’s Decade,where are we? In 2013, the continent celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, which was adopted by the African Union on July 11, 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique to supplement the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. read more...

The year 2012 has thus far proved promising for the African woman's status within public bodies. Women are beginning to break the political glass ceiling in many countries and finding their way in roles traditionally occupied by men. According to the 2012 data from the Inter- Parliamentary Union, women occupy 20.2% of parliamentary seats in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is slightly higher than the world average of 19.5%. read more...

One year ago, the African Union declared 2010-2020 as African Women's Decade. The theme of this year is “Health, Maternal Mortality and HIV/AIDS”. This decade is a promise from African governments and the African Union to promote women's rights and achieve gender equality in Africa. read more
Go to top