Marie Claire Faray-Kele comes from the DRC and lives in London, UK. She is the mother of two daughters, a research scientist in infectious diseases. She is very active in the voluntary sector, campaigning for peace and demilitarization, human security and human rights (particularly ending Violence Against women,  women’s greater participation and representation in the decision-making arena).

She lobbies for national and international implementation of legal frameworks for global respect of rule of law and democratic institutions. Marie Claire is a Vice President of the UK section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom where she has done a huge amount to bring in younger women and to create an active movement of solidarity with women in DR Congo and elsewhere in Africa, coordinating the UK WILPF Voices of African Women Campaign and working on the ‘road map’ of actions for the African Women’s Decade which stretches from this year to 2020 - and promoting the Maputo Protocol on the rights of women in Africa. She’s an active member of the executive committee for Common Cause UK, the platform of Congolese women in the UK, and a member of the Million Women Rise coalition.

In October 2010, the AU launched the African Women's Decade. What do you think this decade represents for women in Africa?
African Women’s Decade is a promise in defense of women's rights and to reduce gender inequality in Africa. This African Women’s Decade is quite significant and unique as it has officially put women at the centre of every initiative or work that will be undertaken in Africa by the African Union, its members states, the UN, the EU, International or local NGOs as well as all institutions, public and private companies. The Decade sets a milestone for enhancing the respect and protection of women’s rights (which are human rights) through the implementation of the rule of law and accountability that will lead to social transformation that is necessary for strengthening participative democracy and development in Africa.

 

Every African woman is put at the centre of her country, community, village and house where her presence is required for decision making and her voice has to be heard as well as to count; it is up to women now to own this Decade by empowering themselves and each other to act and to request an end to impunity and to ask for accountability that will initiate change because nobody will bring it to them. African Women and young girls cannot afford to miss this opportunity. There is a greater momentum with this initiative as African women all over the world are mobilising and organising activities to promote this important Decade. In 2010 (Pan African women’s day) several events were organised to launch the Decade, in Nairobi, Senegal, Mali, South Africa, Zimbabwe, DRCongo and Angola as well as in the UK, France and the USA.

Women’s rights and equity are the embodiment of social and economic justice as well as political empowerment, so it needs to be given fundamental consideration in Africa. In particular, what needs to be appreciated is the positive link bridging the enforcement of laws on the rights of women and justice for peace and sustainable development for all. Therefore, a promise of a Decade in defense of women's rights and to reduce gender inequality in Africa; is a promise for social and economic transformation for all in Africa.

What are the challenges of the decade?
The main challenge for the decade will be the lack of implementation of the law. This stems from a lack of respect of the rule of law, hence defining situations of irresponsibility and failed states. This challenge for women will be in term of overcoming the barriers that block women’s Education and to reduce women’s poverty. Thus overall various mentalities, ideologies and principles have to be challenged, particularly those promoting violence against women, violent masculinity, patriarchy and misogyny. African men dominating the corridors and offices of power across this continent, therefore in charge of leadership (as so far, they are leading governments and signing these legal instruments) have to honour the responsibility that their offices demand of them. This leaders have to stop failing to serve women, serve their mothers, sisters and daughters, hence they have to be challenge to do their duty of being a servant of their nations and its citizens. African men should feel empathy and solidarity with their sisters, mothers and daughters and act because the scale of pain and suffering of African women is simply unacceptable. Men and Women have to be educated together in challenging those human right abuses that also perpetuate inequality and male dominant attitude/hegemony or retrograde patriarchal traditions that are harmful to women.

Furthermore, overcoming armed conflicts and ending the support of oppressive regime are also key challenges of the decade as they perpetuate impunity, social inequality, economic injustice and poverty in Africa. The implementation of national and international law is a key challenge for free and fully participatory elections, accountability It will be imperative to delegitimize violence as a way to accessing to power or leadership in Africa and call for effective governance from African leaders by ending interference from multinational corporations and foreign governments for economic benefit which does not benefit Africa. Oppressive regimes are particularly led by former armed rebels or the victors of a coup d’état, are a challenge as these men dwell in power by exercising fear, human rights abuses, disempowering and impoverishing the citizens of their nation. Lack of respect of women’s or children rights is an absolute lack of respect of human rights, full stop. Lack of education, healthcare and adequate nutrition condemn women and men to poverty and death. Oppressive regimes and legitimisation of armed violence as a way to access power has led to a circle of impunity and violence which is a challenge to promoting and protecting the rights of women; due to their reproductive heath needs they fall in a category of vulnerable.

What African women expect from this decade?
Security, safety and basic human rights for all women, especially Articles 3, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to be fully implemented by African governments. That African country’ governments need urgently to put resources aside to strengthen institutions and implement existing legal frameworks, resolutions and declarations on women’s rights, education, empowerment and equality for all. Furthermore, measures must be put in place to end harmful traditional practices as well as to improve child and maternal health, sexual and reproductive health services, including access to family planning, pre and post-natal care, emergency obstetric services and access to information, as well as to resources necessary to act on that information.

So far, there are only 28 countries that have ratified the Maputo Protocole after nearly 9 years since it adoption.Why it is taking so long for these countries to ratify the protocol?
As I say, African men are dominating the corridors and offices of power across this continent, therefore are in charge of leadership as so far, they are leading governments and signing regional legal instruments. Many of these leaders are also dictators in countries where patriarchal mentalities, ideologies and principles are sometimes also promoted by traditions and religious hierarchies believes or practices that dwell its power on violence against women, violent masculinity, patriarchy and misogyny. Several constitutions in various African countries have not been harmonised to international or regional legal instruments/standard, as they sometimes still hold on to so called traditional or religious law that objectify as well as subordinate the status and role of women. Many African Countries constitutional frameworks and mechanism/legislation remains contradictory and discriminatory towards women on many different levels; they remains therefore extremely weak for the protection of women’s rights and advancement of women. These countries often put various reservations when ratifying legal framework or avoid ratifying the law.Furthermore, even if they ratify all these legal frameworks, they are not having an impact on the lives of women, as the law is not often implemented, and only sometimes applied for those who could afford to pay to enjoy their rights. This is why it is necessary to increase the participation of African women in peace-building and during constitution drafting.

There are 10 focus points for the AWD, which one do you the AU should be prioritised?
All these focus points are interconnected at the international and regional level. They highlight the critical area of concerns as well as guides on specific actions. They provide a standard for policy aspirations and norms to establish national policies to implement in the context of women and girls in Africa. However, as mentioned earlier, only political will is necessary for actions on implementation to generate results that will have a long term impact on the lives of women. Therefore in my opinion, AU members should act.

No more Promises! The AU and its member’s states are one entity, so they have to walk the talk, on women’s rights Stop Violence Against Women And Girls. Secure Women’s Equal land rights. End Impunity! Save African Girls from Sexual violence. AU’s countries have to use gender sensitive indicators and focal points in a multi-sectorial approach with effective machineries to enable civil society and various ministries to bring the issues of Violence Against Women to the government to act by raising awareness, monitoring, reporting and demanding accountability on promises. The African Union has to establish an effective monitoring and participatory instruments to be duplicated in each African country overseeing the implementation of regional and international legal frameworks protecting women's rights. The AU have to take the courage in naming and shaming perpetuators of women’s human rights abuses, as enhancing women’s rights protection strengthens democracy and justice in Africa.

Do you think this decade will make a difference to women and girls in Africa?
This decade will definitely make a difference for women who act upon achieving its aims and objectives by 2020. A promise is a debt, so African women (particularly the elite/educated) on a high quest of accountability will definitely help more grassroots women and girls to benefit from this decade. This decade will definitely make a difference for African States who will act upon achieving its aims and objectives by 2020. Accountability for women’s rights and equality is accountability for human rights and justice in general. I strongly believe that by Educating women, a whole nation will be educated; and providing human security and justice for women; this will benefit the whole nation; leading to socioeconomic transformation in the country; hence in Africa. Gender equality and effective participation of women will lead to real participatory democracy and social justice for all, hence peace and sustainable development, food security and better healthcare for many Africans. Autonomisation and the ability of African governments to generate and allocate funds as well genuine good will are necessary to address inequality issues; as this will benefit African countries in the long term, encouraging peace and sustainable development in the continent.

As a woman rights activist, what is your message to African women for this decade?
African Women’s Decade is a promise for our rights so we Can and we Should all act individually in our own lives and collectively in our society by deconstructing retrograde patriarchy and positively transforming masculinity to end all form of gender-based discrimination and violence. The relation - between gender equality and biological differences should not displace the concern with social inequality and injustice.

We all have to work on various activities of a road map that we have to set according to our individual or collective context during the African Women’s Decade. Leading local African women have to maintain the moratorium on new legal instruments, while we all request action plans for the implementation as well as accountability for existing international and national legal frameworks such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPFA), United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) and regional instruments including the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women and the African Union Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality.

We have to continue to collaborate at the local, national and regional level, to breach the barriers and enhance the dialogue with the Gender Directorate of the African Union and various ministries or institutions of our countries. We all have to ask African Governments to be accountable, and take their responsibility vis à vis to their commitment, so as to push African governments to work harder on women’s issues; those who have not ratified the various legal framework to ratify, those who have already ratified to put money aside for implementation with concrete action plans such as clear gender budgeting as well as allocating more funding for food security, human security , better education /health care for sustainable development and that less money be allocated to military expenditure.

We all have to monitor this decade and evaluate the situation of women; every year from nowtill 2020, to assess progress and challenges. We have to do our own work to support women in the African continent; and compare it to what AU members states or other stake holders will be doing during this decade. We have to ask for national consultations with civil society women's organisations when any national policies affecting women is proposed, designed or before it is passed.

Women have to know their rights, and take action to demand accountability. Many are kept in ignorance due to lack of education and instruction on what the constitutions of their countries say and how the systems/ institutions/laws that are supposed to run their nations should work. Even though they are a minority, however, elite educated and conscientious African women have a heavy responsibility toward ordinary grassroots women, to enable them to access information. Grassroots women should be free from personality cults. They should not be used as a propaganda tool, dancing, welcoming or voting for leaders who offer them a hat, a piece of wax wrapping material and drinks during elections but fail to deliver on the rights of women to human security to live. Women should not be jubilant for leaders who extend their stay in power living in luxury without delivering their promises to serve their nation. Women must urge governments to publicly announce the decisions taken on advancing gender equality and women’s rights in the annual budget. Women must assess and evaluate their government’s progress.Women should refuse to die or live in abject poverty or endure violence: they should be angry, mobilising and taking to the streets to demand concrete actions which will improve their lives and the well being of their children. We have to work together to become change makers. A good will and commitment by each and every one is what is required.

No more Promises! The African Union and its member states have to walk the talk, on women’s rights, Stop Violence Against Women And Girls. Secure Women’s Equal Land Rights. End Impunity! Save African Girls from Sexual Violence! Enhancing the protection of Women’s rights through Justice is a guarantee of human rights and social equality for all Africans which will strengthen Democracy and social transformation in Africa.

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