Equality Now Africa

“Every Contribution Matters” Toolkit is live🎉 It simplifies General Comment No. 6 of the Maputo Protocol on the equitable division of matrimonial property, calling for the recognition of both monetary & non-monetary contributions. Explore the toolkit: soawr.org/resources_post…

🧵1/2: Launch of the ACERWC’s Study on Harmful Practices: Drawing on experiences in 10 country, the study highlights that harmful practices persist because of implementation gaps, weak accountability, deeply entrenched social, cultural, and religious norms, & weak harmonisation

Oversight mechanisms such as ACERWC State Party reporting, parliamentary #gender committee reviews, #NHRI monitoring, and #CSO shadow reporting, are critical in assessing and checking the #accountability of Gvts to their commitments and obligations to #EndingChildMarriage.

@acerwc Session focused on: ✔️ A decade of investment to #EndChildMarriage, where progress is falling short ✔️ Governments’ obligations on child-sensitive budgeting ✔️ Urgent action to strengthen enforcement & accountability ✔️ A clear, time-bound roadmap to sustain results

The panel featured @acerwc's Special Rapporteur on Child marriage and Other Harmful Practices, Hon. Hermine Kembo Takam Gatsing & the ACERWC Special Rapporteur on Investment and Budgeting for Children, Hon. Wilson Almeida Adão, ensuring diverse perspectives. #AfricaFit4Children

📍Happening now at #ACERWC47 in Maseru 🇱🇸 Proud to co-host a panel with @GirlsNotBrides & @acerwc on closing the accountability gap to #EndChildMarriage in Africa, focusing on financing, enforcement, legal protections & state accountability. #AfricaFit4Children #Agenda2040

#ToFollow: Day5 of ACERWC47: 🟪Panel on Closing the Accountability Gap: Financing, Enforcement, Legal Protections, and State Accountability to #EndChildMarriage in Africa by @EqualityNow_AF Equality Now and Girls Not Brides @GirlsNotBrides #AfricaFit4Children #Agenda2040

#ACERWC47: Statement by CSOs with Observer Status. Having an Observer Status gives your organization a privileged access to the Committee. Learn more about the eligibility criteria on 🌐🌐🔗🔗 acerwc.africa/en/networks/cs… #AfricaFit4Children #ChildRightsInAfrica #Agenda2040

5/ Bridge the gap between statutory law & customary practice. Legal protections, like Zambia's Children's Code Act, must be enforced in practice, with accountability, decentralised services & stronger data systems. #ACERWC47 #AfricaFit4Children #ChildRightsInAfrica #Agenda2040

4/ Reject the proposed African Charter on Family, Values & Sovereignty. Developed without women's & children's rights organisations, it risks dismantling hard-won human rights protections across the continent.

🧵 Yesterday at the 47th Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (@acerwc) in Lesotho, our Legal Advisor Santana Simiyu delivered a statement with 5 urgent calls to action for children across Africa. Here's what we said👇 #ACERWC47

JOIN US TOMORROW ➡️ From Survivors to Systems: Elevating Lived Experiences to End FGM/C and Child Marriage. 🗓 16th April 2026 ⏰ 11:00 AM - 01:0PM (GMT +2) 🔗 Registration Link: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regist… #EndFGM #EndChildMarriage #GenderEquality #HumanRights

Djibouti’s legal framework addressing GBV includes: • Penal Code criminalising rape and FGM • Law on Violence Against Women (2009) requiring reporting of FGM Yet 78% of women have undergone FGM. Explore our findings: equalitynow.org/resource/facts… #EndViolencAgainstWomenAndGirls

In Botswana, laws such as the Domestic Violence Act provide important protections for women and girls. Our Botswana factsheet highlights the legal framework, policy commitments, and areas where further reform is needed. Learn more: equalitynow.org/resource/facts… #EndVAWG #LegalEquality

Ending violence against women and girls is part of the larger conversation on access to justice. Our partnerships aim to ensure amplification of the voices of women & girls through collaboration. #ActToEndViolence #ForAllWomenandGirls #IWD2026

As we mark the anniversary of the African Union Protocol on the Right to a Nationality, we are reminded that commitments must be matched by action. Ms Animu’s case shows why ratification and implementation matter. Nationality cannot be weaponised. #RatifyR2NAfrica #Right2Nationality #EndStatelessness

Ms Animu was stripped of her nationality without due process and left stateless. The African Commission ruled in her favour. Implementation is overdue. We stand in solidarity and call for urgent action. Read our joint statement. #Right2Nationality #EndStatelessness