Press Statement on the occasion of the "Pan-African Women's Day"
31 July 2025
As we commemorate the 2025 Pan African Women’s Day under the theme “Advancing Social and Economic Justice for African Women Through Reparations,” the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission), through the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the empowerment, dignity, and justice for African women and girls. This year’s theme aligns with the African Union’s 2025 focus: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” underscoring the urgent need to address historical and systemic injustices that continue to hinder the full realization of African women’s rights.
African women have borne the brunt of colonialism, slavery, economic exploitation, and systemic gender discrimination. Reparations must go beyond financial redress—they must encompass restorative justice that dismantles structural inequalities, ensures equitable access to resources, and guarantees women’s meaningful participation in decision-making at all levels. Social and economic justice for African women requires transformative policies that repair historical harm while fostering sustainable development.
The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) remains a ground-breaking instrument for gender equality. It enshrines critical rights, including economic justice, protection from violence, and political participation. As we mark this day, we call on all African states to fully domesticate and implement the Maputo Protocol, ensuring that its provisions translate into tangible improvements in the lives of women and girls.
Furthermore, Agenda 2063 envisions a continent where women and girls thrive in dignity, free from discrimination and violence. Aspiration 6 explicitly calls for an Africa where development is people-driven, leveraging the potential of women and youth. To achieve this, reparative justice must be integrated into national development plans, ensuring that African women benefit from equitable land ownership, access to finance, quality education, and healthcare.
In addition, the newly adopted AU Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls presents a historic opportunity to strengthen legal frameworks and accountability mechanisms. This Convention provides a comprehensive approach to combating gender-based violence (GBV), including harmful practices. It also mandates reparative measures for survivors, ensuring access to justice, psychosocial support, and economic restitution.
On this Pan African Women’s Day, we call upon all stakeholders to take decisive and collective action in advancing social and economic justice for African women through reparations. Member States must prioritize the ratification and full implementation of the Maputo Protocol and the new AU Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, ensuring that legal protections translate into real change. Governments and institutions must adopt gender-responsive reparations frameworks that address systemic inequalities, including economic disparities, land rights, and access to education and healthcare. Civil society and women’s movements must continue their vital role in holding leaders accountable and amplifying the voices of marginalized women, ensuring their demands for justice are heard and acted upon. The international community must stand in solidarity with Africa’s reparative justice agenda, providing technical and financial support to advance gender equality.
Together, we must recognize that African women are not merely recipients of justice but powerful agents of transformation. Committing to reparative justice today lays the foundation for a future where equality, dignity, and prosperity are within every African woman’s reach.
As we commemorate Pan African Women’s Day 2025, we continue to honour the courage, vision, and relentless spirit of the founding mothers of the struggle for women’s rights, whose sacrifice paved the way for our continued quest for equality, dignity, and justice across Africa.
Hon. Commissioner Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie, Vice-Chairperson and Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
