Communique

by | Nov 26, 2021 | Publications

COMMUNIQUE BY ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN (AGYW) OF SOUTHERN, EASTERN AND WESTERN AFRICA ON THE STATUS OF GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN WITH REGARDS TO ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH (SRHR) VIOLATIONS, GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AND PEACE BUILDING, AND ACCESS TO EDUCATION, ACCESS TO COVID-19 VACCINATIONS, ISSUES OF PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNANCE, DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, ICTS AND THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19

25 NOVEMBER 2021

HELD AT REGIONAL PLATFORM (AGYW Africa) FROM 15 COUNTRIES IN 3 REGIONS

  1. Southern Africa- South Africa, Eswatini, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe
  2. East Africa- Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya
  3. West Africa-Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Senegal

By 230 Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Africa

TAG A LIFE INTERNATIONAL, a Zimbabwean registered organisation that has worked on building agency on girls’ and young women issues as well as advocated for laws and policies that advance their rights, brought together 230 AGYW across the three regions of Africa (East, West and South) to;

  1. Build girls and young women solidarity and movements across the region.
  2. Bring AGYW issues on the African Agenda during and post Covid-19.
  3. Expose girls and promote cultural exchange among AGYW in Southern. Eastern and Western parts of Africa
  4. Build solidarity among AGYW and organisations that work with girl related issues.
  5. Advocate for the prioritization of funding for their issues as the continent rebuilds from Covid-19 ruins.

The conference resolved to share this communique with national, regional and international decision makers;

Bearing in mind that;

  • The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the status quo and has eroded the developmental gains achieved over the last decades that include the gains of women and girls empowerment which came after a struggle both changing communities and laws, while resources have always been contested.
  • Issues affecting girls and young women have either increased or have been worsened by Covid-19 and issues ancillary to or which are a direct or indirect result of the pandemic.
  • No country in Africa was spared.
  • Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals hinges on commitment, resource allocation, ensuring participation of vulnerable groups and recognition of roles and responsibilities of African governments to positively change the current status of AGYW,
  • Commitment to climate change is key to mitigating challenges that affect girls and women in Africa.

Being mindful of the fact that;

  • Most governments across Africa have done a lot in terms of acknowledging issues affecting AGYW and taking mostly policy steps to rectify the issues,
  • African governments are acknowledging the problems that the continent faces and are now joining global efforts to address challenges of common interest such as child marriage and climate change.

Further appreciating;

  • Regional efforts to address challenges facing communities on hunger, education and access to other basic needs,

And recognising the different roles played by legislative bodies across Africa to rectify some policy anomalies on issues affecting mostly girls.

The conference however;

  • Questions the sincerity of governments in addressing inequalities and perpetual discrimination faced by AGYW, in particular those living with debilitating life-long conditions such as disability and HIV/AIDS.
  • Regrets delays by governments in resource mobilization and allocation to ensure realization of fundamental human rights by AGYW,

This therefore makes up our urgent concerns and unnegotiable demands to national, regional and international leaders;

  1. For Southern Africa;
  2. “Education is key in solving all the challenges that AGYW face and we therefore call upon governments to establish education funds across the divide.” State funded basic education (up to high school) will go a long way in ensuring their empowerment.
  3. GBV should be declared a regional emergency and respective governments to provide funding to support ending GBV.
  • Provide comprehensive SRHR support to girls and women so that they do not miss out on their essential rights.
  1. Establishment of leadership and empowerment opportunities to girls and young women.
  2. Ensure participation of women in political and economic spheres with protection against gender based violence that affects women in politics.
  3. Mitigate climate change issues for the benefit of the African Child.

 

  1. For East Africa
  2. Common issues across the region are lack of information and awareness on issues that open the doors to empowerment, inclusion and participation of girls and women in all spheres. Governments need to deliberately include girls and young women in decision making.
  3. Comprehensive SRHR service provision is necessary to curb forced marriages and female genital mutilation. Governments need to ensure law enforcement to punish and deter offenders.
  • Violence against girls and young women needs to be stopped. The Maputo Protocol should be implemented.
  1. Facilitate cultural, religious and attitude shifts amongst government service providers to enable reporting and management of abuse against girls and women.

 

  1. For West Africa
  2. Enable and facilitate provision of comprehensive SRHR information, knowledge and service provision.
  3. Declare rape as a regional disaster.
  • Policy implementation is key in addressing challenges that girls and young women face across all regions, including the need to include girls and young women with disability.

We, African Girls and Young Women, being mindful of the role we play as leaders now and in the future, also having suffered the erosion of our rights due to Covid-19, we urgently call on national and regional leaders to prioritise investment of financial resources towards adolescent girls and young women, as Africa rebuilds from Covid-19, and therefore demand the following form all leaders;

  1. Deliberately address specific challenges faced by girls and young women across the three regions.
  1. Provide huge government subsidies on education, SRHR, gender based violence mitigation and climate change mitigation.
  2. Review education financing support annually or progressively to meet quality components of the right to education in order to reduce burden on families.
  3. Invest in efforts to mitigate GBV and climate change.
  4. Prepare for the unexpected by investing in efforts to prevent and mitigate challenges affecting girls and young women.
  5. Avail environment for greater participation by girls and young women in leadership, politics, governance, democracy and accountability.
  6. As world leaders converge on decision making fora, to rebuild from the ruins of Covid-19, we urge them to take great cognisance of the meaning of their decisions on the well-being of adolescent girls and young women in Africa.

 

 

THE END