Women, peace and security: implementing the Maputo Protocol in Africa

This paper reveals African countries are not doing enough to protect the rights of women on the continent.

Women’s rights are fundamental to human security and sustainable peace. The African Union’s Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) guarantees the rights and equality of women on the continent and complements the global women, peace and security agenda. But case studies of Malawi, South Sudan, Somalia and Mozambique reveal that the implementation of the Maputo Protocol is slow and patchy. The African Union needs to find innovative ways of working with national governments, civil society and grassroots organisations to realise the full potential of this crucial instrument.

About the authors

Romi Sigsworth joined the ISS as the editor of the African Security Review in 2011. She is the gender specialist in the executive director’s office in Pretoria. Romi has a master’s degree in women’s studies from Oxford University.

Liezelle Kumalo joined the ISS in 2015 as a junior researcher in the Peace Operations and Peacebuilding division in Pretoria. Liezelle has a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Witwatersrand.