To the International Alliance of Women team,
Dear Madam, Sir,
I am sending you this message as an engaged citizen and as a voice for local coalitions working for social justice and the protection of human rights in Francophone Africa.
I want to express my strong support for your petition against sexual violence, which resonates deeply in our national contexts in transition. In sub-Saharan Africa, according to UNICEF data, more than 79 million women and girls have been victims of rape or sexual assault. One in five women is sexually abused before the age of 18. These alarming figures reflect a silent crisis, compounded by stigma, impunity and a lack of protection mechanisms.
In our States undergoing reconstruction, inaction in the face of this violence leads to:
- A massive dropout of young girls;
- Generational trauma that hinders social development;
- A loss of confidence in judicial and health institutions;
- A weakening of social cohesion, particularly in post-conflict areas.
Supporting your petition means affirming that the dignity of African women can no longer wait. It also means recognizing that justice for survivors is a critical pillar of sustainable peace and institutional legitimacy.
I am available to relay this initiative to local actors, parliamentarians and citizen organizations, in order to strengthen its impact in our political and community spaces.
With my respectful and supportive greetings,
Ilyassou Diallo
President of RAFEP Guinea, AIF focal point and mobilized for social justice and women’s rights, Conakry Guinea
6 responses
I am sorry to read this message on the difficult status of women in Africa from Ilyassou, who has been part of the IAW delegation at various CSW Sessions.
I am, however, missing a link to the petition she is referring to.
The original newsletter referred to various petitions.
I tried to find out which petition was meant and came across this one: https://www.change.org/p/african-union-convention-on-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls, which has received far too little attention so far.
Thank-you for providing this important link for us.
Thank you for your support for the Petition. It is available in all AU languages. Please raise your voices to end violence against women and girls in Africa by signing the Petition today.
Arabic: https://c.org/CgJP7wgwjP
English: https://c.org/MKDBKLK2ct
French: https://c.org/sjzjVYyf9g
Portuguese: https://c.org/tnRk9PQP4W
Spanish: https://c.org/ST2hrWVZ5c
Swahili: https://c.org/DxMpjPQ9jt
The African Union Legal Counsel, Professor Hajer Gueldich, gave a powerful lecture on the landmark AU Convention to End Violence Against Women and Girls for the African Law Seminar series last July. This lecture led to the creation of the Coalition for African Treaties Ratification for this Convention last September. The Coalition had over 1,000 members join during the first 10 days, 2,000 members before the end of the year, and currently has over 3,000 members in all 55 AU countries. The lecture is available on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmRQO2_v3C4
Dear Ilyassou Diallo,
We would be pleased to welcome you to the Coalition and would greatly appreciate your support.
The only requirement for joining the Coalition is to sign the Petition free of charge.
All members of the International Alliance for Women are welcome to sign the Petition and join the Coalition.
Please contact me by email so that we can work together to end violence against women and girls in Africa.
The Coalition is working with the African Union’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD) to promote the signature, ratification and entry into force of the Convention as soon as possible to provide a Pan-African legal framework for ending violence against women and girls throughout Africa.
Virginia Morris
United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (1989-2017)
African Law Education and Advocacy
Coalition for African Treaties Ratification: AU-CEVAWG
virginia.morris@africanlawseminar.org
https://www.youtube.com/@AfricanLawEducationandAdvocacy