The Executive Chair and Founder of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, has called for stronger regional collaboration and policy commitments toward advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) across Africa.
Dr. Akiyode-Afolabi made key interventions during the NGO Forum recently held in Banjul, The Gambia, ahead of the 86th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The high-level gathering brought together lawyers, Women Rights Organizations (WROs), human rights practitioners, judges, and civil society actors from across the continent to deliberate on emerging issues affecting Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Africa.
Participants at the forum came from Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Malawi, The Gambia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Nigeria, reflecting a broad regional commitment to strengthening human rights advocacy and gender justice.
Speaking during the sessions, Dr. Akiyode-Afolabi emphasized the urgent need for African governments and stakeholders to prioritize policies and legal frameworks that protect the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of women and girls, particularly in areas relating to reproductive health, bodily autonomy, and access to justice.
The forum also served as a platform for knowledge and experience sharing among stakeholders working to address barriers confronting women and vulnerable groups across the continent.
Discussions focused on emerging trends, legal challenges, and strategies for promoting accountability and strengthening institutional responses to SRHR-related issues in Africa.
The NGO Forum is a major pre-session engagement preceding the African Commission meetings and provides civil society organizations with the opportunity to shape advocacy priorities and amplify critical human rights concerns before the continental body.
WARDC’s participation at the forum further reinforces the organization’s longstanding commitment to advancing women’s rights, gender equality, and social justice in Nigeria and across Africa.
