Women´s Representation and Rights in the African Court

Abstract

The African Union and African states’ have committed to upholding gender equality and women’s rights. A pivotal mechanism for advancing this commitment and human rights in general is the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, with its broad substantive jurisdiction. This article considers the legal basis for gender parity and the extent to which gender representation and women’s rights has been advanced through or by the Court. It establishes that though the Court’s jurisprudence on women’s right is quite scant, the Court has illustrated its potential and willingness to protect women’s rights through its advisory and contentious jurisdiction. Significant strides have also been made in attaining gender equality on the Court’s bench, but with more to be done in terms of substantive representation in the Court’s leadership positions.