The protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa commonly referred to as the African protocol on women’s rights or the Maputo protocol was premised on the international and regional human rights framework and was adopted by the African Union (AU) in 2003. The protocol is different from CEDAW because it was drafted by African women and seeks to address issues that are specific to African women. Uganda is one of the countries that signed but has not yet ratified the protocol.

Advocacy for the ratification of the protocol has been spearheaded by Akina Mama wa Afrika which is part of a continental coalition - Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR). AMwA has partnered with a national taskforce made up of women/rights based organisations that has been lobbying and doing advocacy work for the ratification of the Protocol in Uganda. They include UWONET FOWODE, NAWOU, ACORD, UMWA, ICON, ECCA, CEDOVIP, FIDA, WORUDET, ACFODE, WOUGNET, UWOPA, MoGLSD, Raising Voices, Department of Women and Gender Studies among others.

The Taskforce has held several meetings during the past year 2008 with;

• ·         The Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development (MGLSD) which reiterated its support to the protocol campaign
• ·         Uganda Women Parliamentarians (UWOPA) in a bid to make the Protocol a significant part of their agenda
• ·         And in June 2009 with the Minister of State for Justice and Constitutional Affairs to establish the status of the protocol and government’s position on the protocol.
• There is need for the civil society to push the government to action and move beyond the usual rhetoric to actually popularize the protocol and make it relevant to the ordinary woman. People at the grassroots level also need to be mobilized to accumulate momentum to push for ratification. 

To view the African Protocol on Women’s Rights Click here.