The impact of the African Charter and the Maputo Protocol in selected African states

343 Pages·2016·2.97 MB·English

The impact of the
African Charter and the
Maputo Protocol in selected
African states
Editor
Victor Oluwasina Ayeni
LLM HRDA (Pretoria), LLB (Akungba), BL (Abuja)
Doctoral Candidate, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
2016
Title:
The impact of the African Charter and the Maputo Protocol in selected African states
Published by:
Pretoria University Law Press (PULP)
The Pretoria University Law Press (PULP) is a publisher at the Faculty of Law, University of
Pretoria, South Africa. PULP endeavours to publish and make available innovative, high-quality
scholarly texts on law in Africa. PULP also publishes a series of collections of legal documents
related to public law in Africa, as well as text books from African countries other than South Africa.
For more information on PULP, see www.pulp.up.ac.za
Printed and bound by:
BusinessPrint, Pretoria
To order, contact:
PULP
Faculty of Law
University of Pretoria
South Africa
0002
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
www.pulp.up.ac.za
Cover:
Yolanda Booyzen, Centre for Human Rights
ISBN: 978-1-920538-47-7
© 2016
Printed in the Republic of South Africa
Seventeen countries covered in this book
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface...................................................................................................................vii
Introduction..................................................................................................1
Victor Oluwasina Ayeni
Burkina Faso................................................................................................17
Kounkinè Augustin Somé
Cameroon.....................................................................................................31
Polycarp Ngufor Forkum
Côte d’Ivoire................................................................................................45
Kounkinè Augustin Somé
Armand Tanoh
Ethiopia........................................................................................................57
Meskerem Geset Techane
Gambia.........................................................................................................75
Satang Nabaneh
Ghana...........................................................................................................95
Michael Gyan Nyarko
Kenya..........................................................................................................115
Saoyo Tabitha Griffith
Paul Ogendi
Lesotho.......................................................................................................133
Sizakele Hlatshwayo
Malawi........................................................................................................149
Sarai Chisala-Tempelhoff
Seun Solomon Bakare
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface...................................................................................................................vii
Introduction..................................................................................................1
Victor Oluwasina Ayeni
Burkina Faso................................................................................................17
Kounkinè Augustin Somé
Cameroon.....................................................................................................31
Polycarp Ngufor Forkum
Côte d’Ivoire................................................................................................45
Kounkinè Augustin Somé
Armand Tanoh
Ethiopia........................................................................................................57
Meskerem Geset Techane
The Gambia..................................................................................................75
Satang Nabaneh
Ghana...........................................................................................................95
Michael Gyan Nyarko
Kenya..........................................................................................................115
Saoyo Tabitha Griffith
Paul Ogendi
Lesotho.......................................................................................................133
Sizakele Hlatshwayo
Malawi........................................................................................................149
Sarai Chisala-Tempelhoff
Seun Solomon Bakare
v
Mauritius....................................................................................................165
Meskerem Geset Techane
Roopanand Mahadew
Nigeria........................................................................................................183
Victor Oluwasina Ayeni
Sierra Leone...............................................................................................203
Augustine Sorie Marrah
South Africa...............................................................................................215
Ofentse Motlhasedi
Linette du Toit
Swaziland...................................................................................................233
Dumsani Dlamini
Sizakele Hlatshwayo
Tanzania.....................................................................................................249
Grace Kamugisha Kazoba
Charles Mmbando
Uganda.......................................................................................................263
Agaba Daphine Kabagambe
Zimbabwe...................................................................................................281
Tarisai Mutangi
Conclusion.................................................................................................297
Victor Oluwasina Ayeni
Bibliography.......................................................................................................315
Questionnaire used for the study.......................................................329
PREFACE
This book assesses the impact and effectiveness of the African Charter on Human and
Peoples’ Rights (African Charter) and the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights
of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) in 17 African countries, namely Burkina Faso,
Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauri-
tius, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimba-
bwe.
Apart from the introductory and concluding chapters, each chapter of the book is
devoted to the impact of the African Charter and the Maputo Protocol in a particular
state. The chapters are structured according to the 15 research questions included in the
study questionnaire that was provided to researchers. Typically, each chapter begins
with an introduction which provides a background and overview of the general context
of human rights and the situation of women in the study country. The concluding part
of each country chapter highlights the factors which have impeded or enhanced the
impact of the African Charter and Maputo Protocol in that country.
The Centre for Human Rights intends to use this research as the basis for a continu-
ously updated database on the impact of the African Charter and Maputo Protocol. The
‘first edition’ of this book, published under the title ‘The impact of the African Charter
and Women’s Protocol in selected African states’, appeared in 2012 and covered the
following 19 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire,
Eritrea, Gambia, Kenya Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zimbabwe. This edition is essentially an exten-
sion and a reworking of the first edition. Some new country chapters - Ethiopia, Ghana,
Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania and Uganda – have been introduced, while some country
chapters - Benin, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Mozambique, Niger and Senegal – have been
dropped due to our inability to find suitable researchers from those countries within the
period the research was carried out.
We therefore invite anyone who has any information to supplement, update or
correct the information in this publication to contact us at [email protected] or hrda.alum-
[email protected]. Information about the impact of the African Charter and Maputo Proto-
col in countries not covered in this publication is also welcome.
vii
The researchers for both editions are mostly alumni of the Master’s programme in
Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa, presented by the Centre for Human
Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria.
The first edition of this publication was based on research conducted as part of ‘The
State of the Union’ initiative, supported by OXFAM whose financial contribution is
gratefully acknowledged. The support of the Norwegian government in developing and
publishing this edition of the publication is also gratefully acknowledged.
ACRONYMS
ACDHRS African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
ACERWC African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
ACHPR African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
AHRLJ African Human Rights Law Journal
AHRLR African Human Rights Law Reports
AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
APRM African Peer Review Mechanism
AU African Union
CALS Centre for Applied Legal Studies
CANGO Co-ordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against
Women
CERD Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
CESCR Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
CHR Centre for Human Rights
CHRAGG Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance
CHRPA Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration
CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child
CSO Civil Society Organisation
ix
CSVR Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
ECCJ ECOWAS Community Court of Justice
ECHR European Convention on Human Rights
ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States
EHRC Ethiopian Human Rights Commission
ESCR Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
EVD Ebola Virus Disease
FGM Female Genital Mutilation
FIDA International Federation of Women Lawyers
FLAG Female Lawyers Association of Gambia
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HRCSL Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone
HRDA Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa
ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
IHRDA Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa
ILO International Labour Organisation
KNCHR Kenya National Commission on Human Rights
LLM Legum Magister (Master of Laws)
LRC Law Reform Commission
LRC Legal Resources Centre
NCHRF National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms
NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development
NGO Non Governmental Organisation
NHRC National Human Rights Commission
NHRI National Human Rights Institutions
NIA National Intelligence Agency