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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

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