Southern Africa: SADC Countries Committed to Taking Women's Rights Further

Kari Leonard
Current Event 14
November 28, 2008



This article is about how in August of this year the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries made it their protocol to make gender rights the forefront of the plan of action. The protocol is a groundbreaking document, which consolidates SADC policies, and programs dealing with gender matters and provides the region’s leaders with a clear roadmap to move towards equality. There is one big issue that the region wants to enforce and that is legislation prohibiting all forms of gender based violence-including marital rape. A court of competent justice will try all persons who commit these violent gender based acts. The article also says that the protocol is significant for the women of the sub-region. The article also says the document contains 25 articles covering different aspects relating to issues ranging from access to justice and education and ensuring women’s rights are included in member states’ constitutions. Again I found an article that speaks about helping women’s rights become a reality. It is really amazing to me that so many of these developing countries are making it a priority to help women. Through tackling issues like violence and having access to justice and education they can really help women out tremendously. This is especially good in countries within Africa who don’t have a lot of money to begin with. They are still taking the initiative to try and help the women’s statuses as much as the whole country.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200811260218.html