Eliminating harmful practices against women in Zimbabwe: Implementing article 5 of the African Women's Protocol
Traditionally, women’s rights have always been of low priority in Africa. Women have been subordinated under the auspices of deep-rooted African customs and cultural practices, compromising their fundamental rights. Accordingly, member states of the African Union developed the African Women’s Pr...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | research article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Pretoria University Law Press
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5603 http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/1996-2096/2019/v19n2a1 |
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| Summary: | Traditionally, women’s rights have always been of low priority in Africa.
Women have been subordinated under the auspices of deep-rooted
African customs and cultural practices, compromising their fundamental
rights. Accordingly, member states of the African Union developed the
African Women’s Protocol, with article 5 to guide states towards the
elimination of harmful practices against women. This article assesses the
implementation of article 5 of the Women’s Protocol in Zimbabwe, in
relation to legal, constitutional and policy reforms instituted after
ratification of the Protocol in 2008. Although the assessment noted a
positive domestic influence of the Protocol in Zimbabwe, the country still
has a long way to go in the process of eliminating harmful practices. For
the effective implementation of article 5, the article recommends the rapid
alignment of marriage and customary laws to the Constitution and the
African Women’s Protocol. The article also vouches for effective multi-
sectoral approaches which include litigation and widespread awareness
raising on the Constitution and other mechanisms against harmful
practices. |
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