The American Bar Association (ABA) aims to establish a platform linking the Rwandan legal fraternity and NGOs with those in the United States as well as elsewhere in the world. This was revealed yesterday during a meeting organised by the ABA to discuss women’s rights in Sub-Saharan Africa. In an interview with The New Times, Nancy Stafford, the co-chair of the ABA Africa Committee, noted that Rwanda had made tremendous progress in various issues. “Rwanda has made great progress in terms of women’s rights, activism, advocacy and is a model of excellence to other countries. For instance, it ranks very high globally when it comes to representation of women in parliament. We also want to see many Rwandan lawyers represented in the international law fraternity,” Stafford said. She however stated that despite the country’s progress, there was still need to create more awareness about women’s rights, while empowering them with knowledge of how to fight for their rights. Stafford said that women’s rights in Sub-Saharan Africa are often ignored, that is why there was need to bring up the issues and come up with solutions, Michael E.Burke, the Chairman of the ABA, said he hoped that the meeting will help reinforce women’s rights and access to justice. Burke also noted that the ABA has a lot to offer members of the Rwandan Bar Association and hopes that the partnership continues. Josephine Uwamariya, the Country Director of Action Aid, noted that the meeting with ABA will help bring an international perspective, especially in terms of women’s rights.
