Rwanda joined the rest of the continent on July 31, to mark the Africa Women’s Day that is aligned with the Maputo Protocol, which is officially known as the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. It is an international human rights instrument designed by the African Union to ensure comprehensive rights for women. The agreement encompasses women’s participation in the political process, promoting social and political equality with men, granting them greater autonomy in reproductive health decisions, and putting an end to the practice of female genital mutilation. ALSO READ: Women empowerment: A right or favour? Rwanda took a step forward in supporting women's rights by signing the agreement in 2004. Since then, the country has witnessed significant progress in advancing women's rights and gender equality. Speaking at the celebration of Africa Women’s Day on July 31, Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Jeannette Bayisenge, highlighted the progress made over the 20 years since the existence of the Maputo Protocol. She emphasized several initiatives in Rwanda aimed at empowering women, such as increasing their representation in decision-making positions, fostering access to education, and promoting women's involvement in science and technology. ALSO READ: Girls in STEM: Celebrating gains and tackling challenges The Minister acknowledged the efforts being made to improve the economy by recognising the capabilities of both girls and boys. However, she pointed out the existing challenges that need to be addressed, including the prevalence of women in the informal sector and fighting obstacles girls face in completing their education. “There are no challenges in our laws; challenges are in implementing them. There is a need to stand up to enforce the good laws and plans we have, and we are on the right path,” she said. Bayisenge further emphasised the importance of refining collaboration between women and men as gender equality is everyone's responsibility, and stressed the need for educating young boys about the principles of gender equality from an early age, both at home, school, and in places of worship, to ensure a consistent and harmonised message. Rose Rwabuhihi, the Head of Gender Monitoring Office, highlighted that since signing the Maputo Protocol, the country has successfully eliminated institutional discrimination, granting women the same rights as men. She said the agreement played a crucial role in ending forced marriages for women and addressing issues related to early marriages, while also improving access to maternal care. She shared some statistics: currently, land ownership is split equally between men and women (50 per cent each), financial inclusion stands at 93 per cent for men and 92 per cent for women, and mobile phone access is at 89 per cent for men but only 84 per cent for women. Despite these achievements, challenges remain. Existing legislation still contains gaps that result in discrimination against women. Rwabuhihi said that competing legal systems, and discrepancies exist between laws and their practical enforcement. Additionally, many women and girls are unaware of their rights protected under the protocol. To address these challenges, she recommended several measures including strengthening mechanisms for enforcement and accountability, increasing awareness and advocacy for accelerated implementation, conducting periodic reviews of progress at the country level, aligning with similar commitments, and providing resources and capacity-building for actors working towards gender equality and women's empowerment. Isabelle Kalihangabo, RIB Deputy Secretary General, emphasised that violating women's rights is not only a crime against them but also against society. She said Rwanda has implemented various measures to protect women, including laws on gender-based violence (GBV), human trafficking, child protection, safe abortion, and gender equality. Additionally, she said that gender machinery and monitoring offices have been established to detect GBV, and awareness campaigns like he for she, and men engage have been launched to combat gender-based violence. Kalihangabo stressed the importance of empowering women and girls to prevent violence and ensure their protection when reporting cases of violence, and called for African countries to work together and establish uniform systems to fight crimes effectively.
