Foundation seeks national dialogue on reparative justice

The Africa Leadership Foundation (ALF) has called for a national dialogue on reparative justice for African women and girls. The foundation made this call at a virtual dialogue in collaboration with regional partners and stakeholders to commemorate International Women’s Day 2025.

The dialogue aims to spark conversation on how to address the enduring impacts of historical injustices, including slavery, colonialism, and entrenched patriarchy.

Those issues, the Foundation said, have continued to manifest in economic disparities, limited access to resources and leadership, and pervasive gender-based violence.

By fostering national dialogues and engaging key stakeholders, the Foundation aims to drive policy reforms and create a more equitable future for generations to come.

The virtual dialogue, moderated by Gender Justice Lead, Oxfam Africa, Felister Gitonga, saw participation from 22 countries representing all five regions in Africa.

They include South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, DRC, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, the UK and the USA.

ALF’s Executive Director/CEO, Dr. Olumide Ajayi, expressed gratitude to the distinguished speakers, gender advocates, policymakers, and participants across the continent.

“Our dialogue remains an important part of the history and development of Africa as reparative justice transcends merely acknowledging past harm, the legacy of slavery, colonisation, and entrenched patriarchy.

“This patriarchy has continued to manifest in economic disparities, restricted access to land and leadership, and widespread Gender-based Violence that women endure today,” he said.

He said the purpose of the dialogue was to trigger tangible change. He urged national parliaments to initiate national dialogues on reparative justice for women Key recommendations from the discussions were synthesised into a concise outline and shared with the African Union Commission (AUC) and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the conversations translate into impactful policy reforms at all levels.

Head of Coordination and Outreach Division, AUC Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, Ms. Victoria Maloka, said the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (CEVAWG) is at the core of the reparative justice agenda of the African Union.

According to her, it takes a comprehensive legal approach by criminalising all forms of violence against women and girls, ensuring that survivors have unquestionable access to justice while perpetrators are held fully accountable.

“For reparative justice to move from principle to practice, the ratification of CEVAWG must be prioritised by all AU member states so that it comes into force,” Maloka said.

Dean of Humanity of University of Cape Town, South Africa, Prof Shose Kessi, noted that women and girls’ vulnerability to violence, especially in Africa, is amplified during civil unrest, war, and crises.

“This vulnerability manifests in increasing sexual and other forms of violence, including rape, sexual slavery, exploitation, trafficking, and intimate partner violence.

“According to World Bank statistics, 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced some form of gender-based violence. Although the true extent of violence against women and girls on the African continent is largely out of view, taken for granted, or hidden, the available evidence suggests equally problematic high levels of violence,” Prof Kessi stated.

Kessi lamented that women continue to be trapped in low-paying, low-skilled, informal, and exploitative forms of labour and temporary work, making the economic empowerment of women, which is a key determinant of living free of violence, ever more elusive.”

A Ugandan and Secretary General, Pan-African Women’s Association (PAWO) Ms. Grace Kabayo, stated that PAWO made great contributions towards the independence and decolonisation of Africa, leading to the total liberation and unification of the African continent.

“It was key in the advocacy for the formation of the Organisation of the African Union, the current AU, and the elimination of apartheid in South Africa.

“Fighting the abuse of human rights of the African people globally and standing for the African cultural norms and values were some of the most important things that PAWO did and continues to do,” she said.

Malawian and Women’s Political Leadership Lead, Akina Mama Wa Afrika, Ms. Chimwemwe Fabiano, pointed out that reparations can take different forms and are not always monetary.

According to her, it includes infrastructure and grants without conditions. She said: “We have the 1993 Abuja Proclamation, the 2001 Durban Declaration, and the Accra Declaration on Liberations. And so, in terms of policy or legal solutions, they are there. There is a need to connect the dots and build upon them.”