Maputo Protocol, Groundbreaking Women's Rights Treaty, Turns 20

It's been two decades since the adoption of the Maputo Protocol, a landmark treaty advancing the rights of African women, and gender equality. However, experts say the treaty remains alive on paper but elusive in practice. In African countries like Malawi, girls and women are denied the right to sustainable development and a healthy and sustainable environment - some of the fundamental principles of the protocol, writes Madalitso Kateta for African Arguments.

While the Maputo Protocol sets the minimum age of marriage for girls at 18 and states that all marriages take place with the full consent of both parties, UNICEF estimates that 9% of girls in Malawi are married by 15 and one in two by the age of 18. Unintended pregnancies are identified as a driver of child marriages, ultimately denying the girl child a right to education.

As of April 2023, 43 out of 54 African countries had ratified the Maputo Protocol, but only a handful had reformed their abortion laws in line with the Protocol. This is despite the public health burden caused by unsafe abortions.