Spotlighting ACHPR Resolution 522: Protecting Women Against Digital Violence in Africa
Posted: 11 December, 2024 Filed under: Hlengiwe Dube | Tags: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, ACHPR Resolution 522, Africa, Cultural and social norms, cultural norms, cyberstalking, digital gender gap, Digital Violence, doxxing, gender inequality, gender-based violence, gender-sensitive media literacy, harmful surveillance laws, online harassment, social media platforms, violence against women, women’s rights Leave a comment
Author: Hlengiwe Dube
Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
The rise of digital technology has reshaped the world in various ways. While it has promoted progress in communication, education, and economic empowerment, it has also given rise to new forms of gender-based violence. In particular, women in Africa face unique challenges in the digital space, where digital violence, such as cyberstalking, online harassment, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, is becoming increasingly prevalent. In response to this growing issue, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) adopted a landmark resolution in 2022 aimed at addressing the protection of women from digital violence. This resolution (ACHPR/Res. 522 (LXXII) 2022) is an important step in ensuring that women’s rights are upheld in the digital realm, as part of the broader agenda of combating gender-based violence.
The Maputo Protocol: Abolitionist or tolerative approach to polygamy, in the light of Ethiopia’s reservation?
Posted: 21 August, 2023 Filed under: Meron Eshetu Birhanu | Tags: Article 650, Criminal Code, cultural norms, Ethiopia, human rights, imprisonment, lack of legal protection, Maputo Protocol, Maputo Protocol Ratification Proclamation, monogamy, polygamous marriage, polygamy, polygamy belt, religious laws, religious norms, Revised Family Code, social norms, traditional practices, women’s rights 1 Comment
Author: Meron Eshetu Birhanu
Technical Assistant, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)
Despite growing modernity and advocacy for women’s rights, polygamy remains a common practice embraced by social, cultural, and religious norms[1] in most parts of Africa, including Ethiopia. The highest proportion of polygamy in Africa is found in the so-called ‘polygamy belt’, which spans from Senegal in West Africa to Tanzania in East Africa.[2] According to the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey, 11 percent of married women in Ethiopia are in polygamous relationships, of which 9 percent have one co-wife and 2 percent have two or more co-wives.[3]
AfricLaw 