Legal experts and women's rights advocates have issued a stark warning about the dangerous absence of clear legal safeguards for women across Africa, stating this gap poses a serious threat to justice and stability throughout the continent.
Conference Highlights Urgent Need for Legal Reforms
This critical message formed the central theme of discussions at the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) International Conference 2025, which took place yesterday in Cotonou, Benin Republic. The conference, titled "From Margins to Mainstream: The African Woman in Unfettered Sustainable Development," brought together key stakeholders to address pressing issues affecting women's rights.
AWLA Founder Betty Mould Iddrisu highlighted how many African nations historically maintained traditional practices that systematically deprived women and girls of their dignity, property rights, and bodily autonomy. She identified widespread problems including forced marriages, female genital mutilation, and denial of inheritance rights as some of the grave injustices that motivated the organization's early founders to take action.
Iddrisu explained that even when progressive legislation was introduced, women frequently lacked both legal representation and awareness of their rights. This reality prompted lawyers within the association to establish informal legal aid services to bridge this critical gap.
UN Official Warns Against Global Pushback
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed delivered a powerful address, urging African governments and legal professionals to resist the growing global backlash against gender equality. She emphasized that hard-won progress over recent years could easily be reversed if governments, civil society organizations, and women's movements fail to unite in protecting legal achievements and advancing further reforms.
Mohammed noted that African leaders have made specific commitments to addressing violence against women, enhancing women's leadership roles, and supporting post-crisis recovery efforts. She emphasized that organizations like AWLA are uniquely positioned to transform these commitments into lasting legal protections that benefit all women.
Persistent Challenges Despite Existing Frameworks
Falilatou Alexandraine Saizonou Bedie, AWLA Country Representative in Benin Republic, stressed the urgent need to strengthen women's rights across Africa. She described violence against women and girls as a devastating challenge that continues to undermine both social and economic development.
Bedie pointed out the troubling reality that this situation persists despite the existence of multiple legal frameworks, including African Union protocols and United Nations conventions specifically designed to protect women's rights.
Mandy Demechi-Asagba, President of AWLA, praised the remarkable resilience and dedication demonstrated by women lawyers throughout Nigeria and across the African continent. She revealed that the organization has intervened in countless cases, including providing life-saving support for women facing extreme domestic violence situations.
Demechi-Asagba concluded with a powerful call to action, urging all members to remain steadfast in their commitment to the organization's vital mission of securing justice and equality for African women through robust legal protection.
