Gender Issues Showlist
Women, Peace & Security
UNSCR 1325 calls on all parties to: protect and respect the rights of women and girls in conflict & post-conflict; increase women participation in all conflict resolution, peacekeeping and peace-building & to end impunity by prosecuting perpetrators of sexual and other violence on women and girls
index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=56&Itemid=1913
Human Rights of Women
Thirty six years after the adoption of CEDAW, many women and girls still do not have equal opportunities to realize rights recognized by law. Women are denied the right to own property or inherit land. They face social exclusion, “honor killings”, FGM, trafficking, restricted mobility, early marriage,...
index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=44&Itemid=1908
Violence Against Women
Violence against women is the most shameful human rights violation. Gender based violence not only violates human rights, but also hampers productivity, reduces human capital and undermines economic growth. It is estimated that up to 70 per cent of women experience violence in their lifetime
index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=69&Itemid=1912
Political Participation & Leadership
Where women are fully represented, societies are more peaceful and stable. Women political participation is fundamental for gender equality and their representation in positions of leadership must be a priority for all Africans governments.
index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=65&Itemid=1911
Latest News
- LIBERIA: Ministry of Justice Launches Gender Policy and Strategic Action Plan for Inclusivity
- SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan works to reintegrate young mothers back into school
- GAMBIA: Waho Screens Over Thousands of Women for Breast, Cervical Cancer
- NIGERIA: Women kick against move to repeal VAPP Act
- SEYCHELLES: Seychelles to Host First Business Incubation Centre for African Woman Entrepreneurs
- ETHIOPIA: Rising Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls Is Seeping Into What's Left of the Ethiopian Social Fabric. Without Accountability, the Worst Is Yet to Come
- MAURITIUS: Regional Cooperation - Development of a National Action Plan On Women, Peace, and Security
- SOUTH AFRICA: Call for policy that removes barriers to women’s participation in business
- ETHIOPIA: Civil Society Groups Demand Action On Gender-Based Violence in Tigray, Blame Govt
- NIGERIA: Bill to Create Extra 74 Seats for Women in Parliament Passes Second Reading
SENEGAL: Presidential election 2024
In the recently concluded presidential election in the Republic of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye of the Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF) Party was announced as the winner, obtaining 54.28% of the votes. He defeated former Prime Minister Amadou Ba of the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) Party, who received 35.79%. Among the 19 presidential candidates was one woman, Ms Anta Babacar Ngom, representing the Alternative for Citizen Relief Party. The election came following a turbulent election period marked by protests and arrests of demonstrators.
COMOROS: Presidential election 2024
The incumbent President Azali Assoumani won the presidential elections in Comoros securing a fourth term in office. In the recently concluded poll, all candidates were male. While there was no woman vying for the presidency, there were positive developments in terms of women’s participation in elections. The Joint Election Observation Mission from the African Union (AU) and Eastern African Standby Force reported a notable mobilization of women as members of polling stations. Furthermore, in the island governor elections held simultaneously with the presidential polls, Ms Chamina Ben Mohamed was elected.
Overview of Elections in Africa in 2022
By: Grace Marwa - Pattison and Vivian Nilsson - van Iperen
In 2022, nine African States held and concluded elections (presidential and/or parliamentary): Angola, Congo Rep., Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal and Somalia. Tunisia held the first round of the parliamentary elections in December 2022, and the second in January 2023. As the Tunisian elections concluded in 2023, they will not be included in this analysis. The elections in Chad, Guinea and Libya were also scheduled to be held in 2022 but were postponed.
In many of the nine countries, the 2022 elections resulted in positive gains concerning women’s representation and participation as the share of women elected to national parliaments increased, and there were notable gains in women’s political leadership.
2024 Elections Monitoring
São Tomé and Príncipe: Legislative Elections 2022
By: Rafaela Kieto and Vivian Nilsson – van Iperen
The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe held its legislative elections on 25 September 2022. The election was disputed between 10 political parties and a coalition, and 123,302 voters voted, of which 50.8% were women. Overall, the country experienced peaceful and orderly electoral campaigns and polls. This atmosphere is confirmed by the attitudes of the departing Prime Minister and party leader of MLSTP/PSD, Jorge Bom Jesus. Although he claimed numerous irregularities had marred the 2022 elections, Mr Bom Jesus said he would respect the results. He urged Sao Tomeans to remain calm while awaiting the validation of the results by the Constitutional Court.
2019 Elections Monitoring
Our aim with the monitoring of elections and political participation of women in Africa is to provide a deeper analysis, in the form of briefing papers that will incorporate primary sources: the views and voices of parties and voters on the ground. Through a table with statistical data, we will be specifically looking at the number of women (i) registered to vote, (ii) running as candidates, (iii) who are elected following the elections. Our analysis will also include an article on the gender specificities of the country where the election is taking place. We will be looking at the situation of women prior to the elections as well as the way that the elections impact the lives of women.
While the early 20th century saw queens ruling various African countries, notably Ethiopia and Swaziland, the early 1990s saw women appearing on the African political scene, notably in Liberia, Burundi and Rwanda with female presidents and prime ministers. We now hope that the second decade of this millennium will see the rise of true female political participation sweep through Africa, with an increased number of women taking part in the polls, being elected as candidates and playing a key role in shaping their own country’s future.
Objectives:
The objective is to provide an easy to use tool to follow the role of women in elections across Africa by covering the position of female candidates before and after the elections have taken place.The accessibility of current and reliable data on women’s political participation, access to leadership is even more difficult to find and compile. Without this information it is difficult to construct an objective view, analyze and interpret the position of women with regards to political participation. By providing this data in an accessible, easy to read framework (ie table) MEWC hopes to provide an information gateway to researchers, policy makers, students other women’s organizations and local voters...
2020 Election Monitoring
Our aim with the monitoring of elections and political participation of women in Africa is to provide a deeper analysis, in the form of briefing papers that will incorporate primary sources: the views and voices of parties and voters on the ground. Through a table with statistical data, we will be specifically looking at the number of women (i) registered to vote, (ii) running as candidates, (iii) who are elected following the elections. Our analysis will also include an article on the gender specificities of the country where the election is taking place. We will be looking at the situation of women prior to the elections as well as the way that the elections impact the lives of women.
While the early 20th century saw queens ruling various African countries, notably Ethiopia and Swaziland, the early 1990s saw women appearing on the African political scene, notably in Liberia, Burundi and Rwanda with female presidents and prime ministers. We now hope that the second decade of this millennium will see the rise of true female political participation sweep through Africa, with an increased number of women taking part in the polls, being elected as candidates and playing a key role in shaping their own country’s future.
Objectives:
The objective is to provide an easy to use tool to follow the role of women in elections across Africa by covering the position of female candidates before and after the elections have taken place.The accessibility of current and reliable data on women’s political participation, access to leadership is even more difficult to find and compile. Without this information it is difficult to construct an objective view, analyze and interpret the position of women with regards to political participation. By providing this data in an accessible, easy to read framework (ie table) MEWC hopes to provide an information gateway to researchers, policy makers, students other women’s organizations and local voters...
2021 Elections Monitoring
2021 Elections Monitoring
2022 Elections Monitoring
2022 Elections Monitoring
2024 Elections Monitoring
Our objective is to provide a user-friendly tool to track women's roles in African elections, focusing on female candidates' status before and after elections. Access to up-to-date and reliable data on women’s political involvement and leadership access is rare. Without such data, it's challenging to objectively view, analyze, and understand women's political positions. By offering this data in an accessible format (e.g., tables), MEWC aims to be an information resource for researchers, policymakers, students, women's organizations, and local voters.
Our goal in monitoring elections and women's political participation in Africa is to offer detailed analysis through briefing papers. We'll present statistical data on women's engagement in politics, specifically looking at (i) registered female voters, (ii) women running as candidates, and (iii) women elected post-election. This analysis will also cover gender dynamics in the election's country, examining women's conditions before and how the elections affect women's lives.
