sexual health and human rights in the african region - The ICHRP
sexual health and human rights in the african region - The ICHRP
sexual health and human rights in the african region - The ICHRP
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Cairo <strong>and</strong> Beij<strong>in</strong>g Conferences. 96 Comply<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> Declaration calls for,<br />
<strong>in</strong>ter alia, repeal<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> reform<strong>in</strong>g policies, laws <strong>and</strong> practices that still<br />
subject women to discrim<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> all Sou<strong>the</strong>rn African Community<br />
member states.<br />
• Prevention <strong>and</strong> Eradication of Violence Aga<strong>in</strong>st Women: In 1998, Sou<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
African Community adopted <strong>the</strong> Prevention <strong>and</strong> Eradication of Violence<br />
Aga<strong>in</strong>st Women <strong>and</strong> Children 97 as an Addendum to <strong>the</strong> Declaration on<br />
Gender (<strong>the</strong> Addendum). <strong>The</strong> Addendum recognises violence aga<strong>in</strong>st<br />
women as a violation of fundamental <strong>human</strong> <strong>rights</strong> as acknowledged by<br />
<strong>the</strong> Vienna Declaration <strong>and</strong> Programme of Action of 1993. 98 It conceives<br />
violence aga<strong>in</strong>st women as <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>sexual</strong> violence which occurs <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
community <strong>in</strong> such forms as threats, rape, <strong>sexual</strong> abuse, <strong>sexual</strong><br />
harassment <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>timidation, traffick<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> women <strong>and</strong> children, forced<br />
prostitution, <strong>and</strong> violence <strong>in</strong> armed conflict. 99 <strong>The</strong> Addendum calls for,<br />
<strong>in</strong>ter alia, <strong>the</strong> adoption <strong>and</strong> implementation of laws to prevent <strong>and</strong><br />
eradicate all forms of violence aga<strong>in</strong>st women. 100<br />
• Sou<strong>the</strong>rn African Community Development Protocol on Gender <strong>and</strong><br />
Development (Sou<strong>the</strong>rn African Community Protocol on Gender): A relatively<br />
more recent but significant Sou<strong>the</strong>rn African Community development is<br />
<strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rn African Community Protocol on Gender <strong>and</strong> Development<br />
of 2008. <strong>The</strong> Protocol seeks to br<strong>in</strong>g synergy to <strong>the</strong> various <strong>in</strong>struments<br />
that Sou<strong>the</strong>rn African countries have agreed upon both <strong>region</strong>ally <strong>and</strong><br />
globally. <strong>The</strong>se <strong>in</strong>clude <strong>the</strong> International Conference on Population <strong>and</strong><br />
Development, <strong>the</strong> Beij<strong>in</strong>g Declaration <strong>and</strong> Platform for Action, <strong>the</strong><br />
Women’s Convention, <strong>the</strong> Millennium Development Goals, <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
African Community Declaration on Gender <strong>and</strong> its Addendum <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
African Protocol on <strong>the</strong> Rights of Women <strong>in</strong> Africa. 101 Effectively <strong>the</strong><br />
Protocol renders <strong>the</strong> Declaration on Gender <strong>in</strong>to a b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g treaty among<br />
Sou<strong>the</strong>rn African Community member states. <strong>The</strong>refore, it is important to<br />
treat <strong>the</strong> Protocol as an <strong>in</strong>strument with <strong>the</strong> status of <strong>in</strong>ternational law that<br />
is b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g ra<strong>the</strong>r than soft law that is not b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
[27] <strong>The</strong> ma<strong>in</strong> objective of <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rn African Community Protocol on Gender can<br />
be summarized as <strong>the</strong> achievement of substantive equality for women. <strong>The</strong><br />
Protocol seeks to achieve gender equality <strong>and</strong> elim<strong>in</strong>ate gender discrim<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong><br />
96 Ibid.<br />
97 <strong>The</strong> Prevention <strong>and</strong> Eradication of Violence Aga<strong>in</strong>st Women <strong>and</strong> Children. An Addendum to <strong>the</strong> 1997<br />
Declaration on Gender <strong>and</strong> Development. Adopted by <strong>the</strong> Heads of State of SADC countries at Gr<strong>and</strong><br />
Bay, Mauritius on <strong>the</strong> 14 th of September 1998.<br />
98 Para 4 ibid<br />
99 Para 5 ibid.<br />
100 Para 9 ibid.<br />
101 Article 3(b) of <strong>the</strong> SADC Protocol on Gender.<br />
39