#PauseforPurpose

 

A Call to Strengthen the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (CEVAWG)

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Statement

We, the undersigned, individuals and organisations, reaffirm our collective commitment to ending all forms of violence against women and girls across Africa.

We welcome the adoption of  AUCEVAWG by the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in February 2025. This represents a historic milestone and an opportunity to strengthen the protection, prevention, accountability, and redress mechanisms necessary to eradicate gender-based violence.

At the same time, we note with deep concern the substantive and procedural gaps in the Convention that risk undermining its effectiveness. These include:

Substantive Gaps:

1.

Regression from existing State obligations on VAWG

Failure to articulate the nature and scope of state obligations in alignment with the Maputo Protocol and existing international law standards.

2.

Lack of a protection and accountability framework

While the Convention articulates important issues that are necessary to end GBVAWG, much of this content is not framed as legal entitlements, but as objectives (article 4) or principles (article 6). It lacks clear legal entitlements, rights and state obligations.

3.

Fails to create normative standards

The Convention fails to create normative standards on gender-based discrimination as the root cause of GBVAWG and the underlying structural drivers of such violence.

4.

Weak structure and form

The Convention has a weak structure and form that is inconsistent with treaty making, which weakens the normative standards. It reads like guidelines, a national strategy/action plan, or policies depending on the article.

5.

Implementation gap

It entrenches the implementation gaps that exist in the African Human Rights System. It designates the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights as the implementing/monitoring mechanism. While this may appear procedurally consistent, it presents substantial challenges. The Commission continues to face serious institutional weaknesses, particularly its restrictive interpretation of Article 59(1) of the African Charter, which enforces blanket secrecy on decisions and pleadings.

6.

The Convention is not responsive to context

Although it names and defines emerging forms of violence such as violence in cyberspace and femicide, they are narrowly and poorly conceptualised. For instance, the reference to violence in cyberspace is not framed within the comprehensive manifestation of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). Similarly, the focus on femicide is underdeveloped, failing to capture structural and systemic drivers. It excludes widespread African realities such as FGM, child marriage, and conflict-related sexual violence, and overlooks the specific vulnerabilities of the girl child. These gaps show that the CEVAWG is not responsive to the lived realities of African women and girls.

7.

Language and framing issues

The Convention contains language and framing that is often advanced by anti-rights actors to derogate from human rights protection in the fight to end GBVAWG. For example, centring ‘African values’ without conceptual clarity is dangerous because historically this framing has been used to justify certain forms of GBVAWG.

The CEVAWG does not meet the basic standards of a treaty making process:

  1. The Convention was opened for ratification before it was publicly available to African Citizens:
    After adoption in February, Djibouti signed the Convention in April, yet the Convention became publicly available in June 2025. [1]
  2. Post-adoption, the Convention underwent additional edits at the Office of the Legal Counsel:
    It is inconsistent with treaty-making law for the text of a treaty adopted by heads of state to be subjected to further edits, even if merely grammatical or linguistic, without being subjected to a re-negotiation process.
  3. There are no Travaux préparatoires (preparatory works):
    The lack of preparatory works is inconsistent with treaty-making processes. This is an important interpretive tool. [2]
  4. The process of developing the Convention was not as transparent and consultative as required by AU treaty-making processes:
    There are no publicly available reports on the findings of the participation processes that were said to have informed the development of the Convention. Those who engaged in the consultation survey reported that their feedback is not reflected in the Convention’s text. There was no public engagement on the draft treaty, and many who were consulted described the process as tokenistic, with feedback blocked by a sense that the treaty had already been pre-drafted.
    In August 2025, a coalition of women’s rights organisations and civil society partners surveyed over 1,500 organisations across Africa. The results revealed that only 33% were aware that a Convention was being developed, while 93% reported not being engaged or consulted. This demonstrates that the consultation carried out was far narrower than it should have been, falling short of the broad, inclusive, and participatory approach required for the legitimacy of such a treaty. [3]

In light of these concerns, we collectively recommend:

  • Pause the Ratification: Pause the ratification process to ensure that the CEVAWG, in its entirety, is fit for purpose.
  • Revision of the Convention: The African Union should adopt a resolution calling for the revision of the treaty.
  • Normative Alignment: Call for revisions to align the CEVAWG with existing African and international standards on gender-based violence and develop new standards based on evidence and emerging consensus on what it takes to end violence against women and girls.

We further resolve to:

Mobilise our networks to ensure that advocacy around CEVAWG strengthens, rather than weakens, the continental human rights framework.

In endorsing this statement, we reaffirm that the struggle against violence against women and girls is inseparable from the broader pursuit of gender equality, justice, and human dignity across Africa. We call on Member States of the African Union, regional institutions, and civil society to act decisively to ensure that the CEVAWG becomes a transformative tool for change rather than a regressive instrument.

 

  1. African Union Press Release: “Djibouti Makes History as First Member State to Sign the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls,” 9 April 2025.
    View source
    (accessed 13 August 2025).
  2. Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969. Entered into force 27 January 1980. United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 1155, p. 331. Article 32.
  3. Survey conducted in a series of webinars in English, French, and Arabic organised by Akina Mama Wa Afrika, Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa, and Fos Feminista.

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