Equality Now submitted the following statements to the 66th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. The joint statement was made by Alliances for Africa, on behalf of Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR), of which Equality Now is a member.
The submissions details concerns about the rights of women and girls across Africa, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented spike in cases of violence against women and girls in Africa. School closures and extended school holidays, as is being witnessed in many African countries, due to the pandemic have occasioned a rise in cases of FGM and child marriage in practicing communities across the continent.