An Analysis of the Challenges of Implementing Women’s Rights under International Instruments in Africa

Abstract

The paper examines the challenges which continue to hamper effective implementation of international instruments on Women’s Rights in Africa. The challenges include ingrained cultural practices and beliefs, oppressive socio-economic and political systems and wide spread poverty which especially weakens women’s capacity to enforce the rights under these instruments in Africa.It proposes measures that will promote gender equality more effectively and enhance the realization, in concrete terms, woman’s rights under these instruments particularly the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.