Joint Press Statement on the Signing of the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls by Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Liberia, and The Gambia
18 July 2025
Banjul, The Gambia
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission), commends the Member States of the African Union (AU) for signing the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (AU Convention) on the margins of the AU 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting which took place in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea from 10 to 13 July 2025. The Member States are Angola, Burundi, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, and The Gambia.
The AU Convention was adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU during its 38th Ordinary Session in February 2025. This groundbreaking instrument represents the first pan-African legally binding framework exclusively focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls across the continent.
This historic step by these Member States in signing the AU Convention marks a pivotal moment in the continental effort to end violence against women and girls. As the first legal instrument dedicated solely to this cause across public and private spheres, the AU Convention represents a transformative framework for action. The Commission applauds these Member States for their bold and exemplary leadership, which reflects an unequivocal commitment to addressing the structural and deeply rooted patterns of violence and discrimination that women and girls continue to face across the continent. The Commission further considers these signatures a powerful signal of political will toward building a continent where the dignity, safety, and rights of all women and girls are fully protected, respected, and fulfilled.
The Commission, however, recalls that under international law, signing a treaty is an important political signal but does not in itself create binding legal obligations. The full legal effect of the AU Convention will be realised only upon its ratification and domestication into national law. The Commission, therefore, encourages the Governments of Angola, Burundi, Djibouti, DRC, Liberia, and The Gambia to proceed without delay in ratifying the AU Convention and take the necessary legislative and institutional measures to ensure its effective implementation.
The Commission further calls upon all Member States of the AU to follow this exemplary step and demonstrate a shared commitment to ending violence against women and girls by signing, ratifying, and implementing the AU Convention, in line with their human rights obligations, including under the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol). This moment calls for a unified and urgent response from all Member States to confront the systemic inequalities and power imbalances that sustain violence against women and girls.
The Commission reaffirms its readiness to support the signatory States and other Member States in the ratification and implementation processes. This support includes providing technical guidance, facilitating constructive dialogue, and promoting best practices to ensure that commitments made at the continental level are translated into real, transformative change in the daily lives of women and girls. The Commission remains a steadfast partner to all States in the collective journey toward eliminating gender-based violence in Africa.
- Hon. Commissioner Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie, Vice Chairperson and Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa
- Hon. Commissioner Essaiem Hatem, Country Rapporteur for the Republic of Djibouti
- Hon. Commissioner Mudford Zachariah Mwandenga, Country Rapporteur for the Republic of Liberia
- Hon. Dr. Commissioner Marie Louise Abomo, Country Rapporteur for the Republic of Angola, the Republic of Burundi, and the DRC
- Hon. Dr. Commissioner Litha Musyimi-Ogana, Country Rapporteur for The Republic of The Gambia
18 July 2025
Banjul, the Republic of The Gambia
