As I attended the 5th convening of Africa Disrupt last month, an annual convening of feminist activists, civil society advocates, and women’s rights organisations hosted by the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), I couldn’t help but feel utter excitement and determination to be among fiery and vibrant feminist activists. This was my first time attending and I was honoured to be part of a movement set on amplifying the voices of women and girls who have been denied a chance to share their experiences and solutions for addressing various crises that impede women’s rights and forces that seek to roll back the gains that have been made thus far.
Africa Disrupt was created by African feminists in response to their experiences of fragmentation and underrepresentation in Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) spaces, and the resultant disjointed advocacy and lobbying efforts on issues affecting African women and girls. Over the years, it has grown into a critical convening where African feminists align priorities, interrogate policy frameworks, and build collective positions ahead of global engagements.
Held in Accra, Ghana, under the theme “Centering Justice, Ensuring Equality for African Women and Girls”, aligned with CSW70’s priority theme, the timing could not be more urgent and critical. Various efforts to dismantle the gains made over the years on women’s rights have gone into overdrive over the last two to three years, which calls into question the full realization of access to justice for women and girls, especially those living in conflict-affected settings. The rise of anti-rights actors, the stifling of initiatives on gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and reduced funding, compounded by increasing conflicts and economic crises around the world, are all contributing to the stagnation and possible reversal of women and girls’ rights and diminished access to justice. The situation is even more exacerbated in Africa, where longstanding structural issues are still persisting, such as poverty, lack of or reduced access to basic services like health and education, and harmful social and cultural norms that restrict opportunities for women and girls to realize their full potential.
Reimagining Inclusive Legal Systems:
During Africa Disrupt CSW70, there was a deliberate shift from conversation to co-creation. Participants engaged in reimagining what inclusive and feminist justice systems should look like — systems that are not only legally sound but socially responsive and accessible to all women and girls, including those in rural and marginalized communities.
Various aspects of the legal system were discussed, from interaction with law enforcement at police stations to the court system to relevant legislation guaranteeing access to justice. Participants shared how police stations should be transformed into one-stop shops with social workers embedded with police where women and girls can access a variety of services in addition to reporting cases. Domestic violence units should also be embedded within police services, where women feel safe enough to report cases. Sensitization and creating awareness on GBV, SGBV, and other forms of violence within law enforcement was also mentioned as a key strategy for ensuring that law enforcement services are gender responsive and sensitive. Participants were unanimous that courts and legal aid need to be accessible and fair through gender-sensitive budgeting; dedicated service weeks in the courts, which are designed to clear case backlogs, specifically targeting long-pending, uncontested, or specific types of cases like family, succession, or child matters through fast-tracked hearings and utilization of mediation; free and accessible legal aid; and GBV-specialized courts. Regarding legislation, the consultation and participation of women and girls in legislative and policy processes, and the availability of relevant laws in several local languages were mentioned as imperative to developing inclusive and impactful legal systems.
What was apparent in these discussions was that issues around access to justice are experienced uniquely but persistently across the African continent, and that these issues have persisted over time. Women living in conflict-affected settings face heightened barriers to access to justice, exacerbated by increasing waves of insecurity, displacement, and loss of evidence of human rights violations and abuses, especially sexual gender-based violence, and conflict-related sexual violence.
Research from our ‘From Asking to Action’ global consultation, including six countries in Africa, revealed that confidence in security institutions remains low. Only 12% of women regionally reported that women always seek help from police, legal aid, or community welfare institutions following assault, while 30% said help is sought only sometimes. Fear of retaliation, stigma, limited infrastructure, and lack of trained personnel continue to deter survivors from accessing justice.
On identifying clear priorities for strengthening protection and access to justice, the women we engaged cited increasing public awareness and education on women’s rights (73% regionally), creating economic empowerment opportunities for women (53%), strengthening legal frameworks and enforcement (49%), and providing more shelters and safe spaces for women (43%).
Call to Action:
As Africa Disrupt concluded, participants adopted a collective position concerning access to justice for all women and girls, as well as participation of Global South activists and advocates to attend CSW. It was clear that access to justice needs to be survivor-centred, efficient, gender-sensitive, substantive, and not symbolic. The lived experiences, expertise and leadership of all African women and girls is essential to realizing gender justice at all levels, from local to global. It then follows that justice systems at all levels should be adapted to the realities of African women and girls.
However, for advocacy on access to justice to be done effectively, access must be granted to African feminists and advocates to attend critical advocacy spaces such as CSW70, for them to share their experiences, solutions, and recommendations on creating legal systems that are responsive and impactful. Visa bans, bonds, and other restrictive travel measures that have been put in place by the US government have made it increasingly difficult, and almost impossible, for African feminists to engage effectively with discussions and negotiations happening at CSW. This has resulted in several WROs and activists to either be shut out of CSW70, or voluntarily not attend CSW70 in solidarity with their fellow sisters.
This makes convenings such as Africa Disrupt so important: for feminists to have a space that they can call their own, for feminists to share their experiences and encourage one another, for feminists to ‘disrupt’ the established ways of working and challenge structural barriers to their participation and influence. The clarion call is now more important than ever: feminists and advocates must rise up, unite, and continue the fight for gender equality and women’s empowerment to ensure that the needs of African women and girls are not left behind or ignored in the design of a more just world.
