Violence against Women and the Dream of Empowerment in Africa

Undoubtedly, there is no disagreement about the pivotal role of African women in their society. Likewise, no one can ignore or deny what these women endure in their childhood, adolescence, and youth in the form of the various violations and abuses since ancient times. Despite signing the convention to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women in 1979 as well as the Maputo Protocol in 2003 to protect the rights of African women, and committing to achieving gender equality in the Millennium Development Goals in 2015 and subsequently in the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, discrimination against African women persists throughout their daily lives at home, work, school, and on the streets, even during times of peace and war. In the prevalent conflicts and civil wars in many African countries, both the army and rebel groups perpetrate sexual violence and physical and psychological abuse against women. This hinders any initiatives, policies plans aimed at empowering African women socially, economically, and politically. Therefore, this research paper seeks to present these violations, investigate their root causes, explore ways to confront them, and attempt to devise scenarios for empowering African women. Keywords: Human Rights, Discrimination, Woman Empowerment, Sexual Violence, Genital Mutilation, Civil War.