Towards an African system for the protection of women's rights: The protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the rights of women in Africa

The adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa is an indication of a change of attitude by the reconstituted African Union to take the rights of women seriously on the Continent. The Protocol contains substantive provisions to supplement the vague protection of women's rights contained in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. The question that remains to be answered now is how the provisions of this Protocol will achieve its objective of providing adequate protection of the rights of women in Africa. This thesis argues that despite the problems faced by the African human rights system generally, with proper implementation of the Protocol, it can provide protection for the rights of women in Africa.