TRES/005/4/2015 : RESOLUTION ON WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN AFRICA

TRES/005/4/2015 : RESOLUTION ON WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN AFRICA
We, the participants of the Forum on the Participation of NGOs in the 56th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the 30th African Human Rights Book fair held in Banjul, The Gambia from 16th to 19th April 2015; Recalling its mandate to promote and protect human and peoples’ rights in Africa in accordance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter);
Recalling further the Grand Bay Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by the first OAU Ministerial Conference on Human Rights in Africa held from 12 to 16 April 1999 in Grand Bay (Mauritius); and the Kigali Declaration adopted by the African Union Ministerial Conference on Human Rights in Africa held on 8 May 2003 in Kigali (Rwanda);
Reiterating the commitment made by Member States of the African Union in the Grand Bay Declaration to implement the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders;
Noting Resolutions ACHPR/69(XXXV) 04 on the protection of human rights defenders in Africa, ACHPR/Res.119 (XXXXII) 07 and ACHPR/Res.196 (L) 11 on the situation of human rights defenders in Africa;
Further noting Resolution ACHPR/Res.230 on the need for a study on the situation of women human rights defenders in Africa;
Welcoming the study on the Status of Women Human Rights Defenders to be launched on 23 April 2015;
Concerned about the increasingly challenging environment in which human rights defenders work, notably women human rights defenders, characterized by persistent and systematic arbitrary arrest and detention, acts of harassment, including judicial harassment, threats and other forms of intimidation, summary and extrajudicial executions, and torture, as well as gender-based violence;
Further concerned by the numerous legislative restrictions and obstacles on the activities of human rights defenders, including the criminalization of their activities, in particular those who collaborate with regional and international human rights promotion and protection institutions;
Noting that in many countries existing laws and policies at the local and national level serve as barriers to the full and equal participation of women in political and public life;
Alarmed about the specific threats and attacks faced by African women human rights defenders in their daily activities against the backdrop of increasing religious fundamentalism as well as the national security context in the measures taken by States to combat terrorism;
Convinced that the study on the situation of women human rights defenders and the recommendations contained therein will contribute to improving the precarious situation of the rights of women human rights defenders in Africa;
Further convinced that the study provides a framework for developing appropriate strategies for protecting women human rights defenders on the continent;
Call upon the African Commission to:
1. Urge States Parties to implement the recommendations of the study by:
2. Taking immediate steps to identify and eliminate all legal and political obstacles and barriers to the right to equality of women and their full and effective participation in public and political life;
3. Adopting a specific law to promote and protect women human rights defenders and their work in a broader framework for protecting and promoting all human rights, consistent with the principles contained in the UN Declaration on human rights defenders 1998, the Declaration of Grand Bay and the Kigali Declaration respectively;
4. Establishing an effective, independent, impartial national mechanism to prevent and address violations and discrimination against women human rights defenders and their families
5. Report back to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the progress of implementation during presentation of their periodic reports
Done in Banjul, The Gambia – 19th April, 2015