Centre and partner ponder challenges to women's sexual and reproductive rights at commemorative event in Dakar

On Thursday 4 June 2026, the Centre for Human Rights (Centre) at the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, co-hosted the Helen Kanzira Memorial Lecture in collaboration with the Faculty of Legal and Political Science at Gaston Berger University (UFR de Sciences Juridiques et Politiques de l’Université Gaston Berger) at Les Residences Mamoune, in Dakar, Senegal.

Helen Kanzira was a graduate of the inaugural year (2000) of the Master’s in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa programme (HRDA), presented by the Centre in collaboration with 12 law faculties across the continent, including Universitè Gaston Berger (UGB), based in St Louis, Senegal. This partnership exists as part of a broader network, with the Centre serving as the African regional headquarters of the Global Campus of Human Rights, which is a global network of over 100 institutions providing human rights education and training.

The event was attended by 50 participants comprising academia, civil society organisations, practitioners in government and scholars, to discuss the important theme: ‘Reflections on the women’s sexual and reproductive rights in light of the Maputo Protocol’ (‘Réflexions sur les droits des femmes en matière de santé reproductive en Afrique à la lumière du Protocol de Maputo’). The objectives of the lecture were to reflect on the progress in the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Africa against the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) and, specifically, to commemorate Helen Kanzira and her engagement with sexual and reproductive rights; analyse the progress and barriers to the implementation of the Maputo Protocol; and create a platform for engagement between universities, public decision makers, practitioners in law, the health sector, feminist organisations and civil society organisations.

The event was moderated by Mme Adja Aminata Cissé Diop. Dr Papa Fara Diallo and Dr Michelle Maziwisa gave a brief introduction to the Helen Kanzira Memorial Lecture and objectives of the lecture, to commemorate Helen Kanzira, analyse the progress made and challenges in the implementation of the Maputo Protocol in Africa, to promote multisectoral and intergenerational dialogue and formulate recommendations for stakeholders.

Professor Papa Samba Ndieye and Professor Frans Viljoen noted the value of cross-regional engagement across Anglophone and Francophone jurisdictions, and the importance of the cross-regional collaboration between Southern Africa and West Africa and the broader network of the Global Campus. In this regard, it is noteworthy that UGB previously hosted the Africa Moot Court Competition in 2007 and the Julius Osega Memorial Lecture in 2023, and now hosts the Helen Kanzira Memorial Lecture in 2026.

The keynote speaker, Mme Ramanata Salle from the Association des Juristes Senegalaise (AJS) (Association of Senegalese (Women) Lawyers), presented a passionate address on the challenges to the realisation of women’s SRHR in Africa, 20 years since the adoption of the Maputo Protocol. Her speech is available . One of the reflections that stood out is that although Senegal has ratified the Maputo Protocol, which permits abortion in cases of rape, incest and serious risk to the mother’s life or health under article 14(2)(c) of the Maputo Protocol, in Senegal, the law does not permit abortion except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk, and there is a requirement for three different doctors to attest to this before an abortion can be allowed. This is a massive set-back to women’s sexual and reproductive rights, and an affront to women’s human dignity to be forced to carry a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest to full term.

The keynote address was followed by a Q&A discussion, followed by a panel discussion. The esteemed panel comprised experts Dr Raymond Alipio, Chef de service Gynécologie obstétrique, Hôpital Abass Ndao; Dr Ndèye Khady BABOU, Féministe engagée pour la reconnaissance des violences gynécologiques et obstétricales; Mme Maguette Diouf, Sage-femme d’Etat; Dr Pape Moussa DIÈYE, Médecin; and M Diabel Ndiaye, Sociologue, Laboratoire Gestes de l’UGB.

Dr Raymond Alipio, a renowned gynaecologist in Senegal, shared experiences from his practice and in his role in the teaching hospital, and that from 2003 to 2026 the national hospital has conducted 126 interventions on female genital mutilation (FGM), and continues to train health practitioners to make them more aware of women’s SRHR.

Dr Dieye Pape Moussa, a medical doctor, noted that ‘when a woman loses her health, it is a tragedy and a systemic failure’. He posed some questions to the participants to reflect on whether pregnant women benefit from chemical risks, professional risks in companies, workload, age, stress, night shifts, the uncertainties and precarity of informal work, the majority of which is carried out by women in Senegal, and how to protect women from physical and psychological violence, because all these factors have consequences for women’s reproductive health, and may contribute to obstetric complications.

Mr Diabel Ndiaye, a sociologist, noted that he was part of a research group on SRHR, and reflected on the story of a woman who was raped and sought abortion. She required three doctors to confirm that her life would be at risk if she did not abort, but she could not obtain the three doctors’ confirmation on time and was forced to carry the pregnancy to full term. This story is not very different from the Mildred Mapingure case in Zimbabwe where, due to bureaucratic failures and misinformation, a woman who had been raped was ultimately forced to carry a pregnancy to full term. Both cases, one in Southern Africa, another in West Africa, reflect a major failure in the realisation of women’s SRHR in spite of the Maputo Protocol. He also highlighted the prevalence of obstetric and gender-based violence, observing that women often negotiate under conditions that constrain their choices even before they are able to speak. In this context, he argued that the issue of consent extends beyond the mere obtaining of a ‘yes’; rather, attention should be directed to the circumstances and power dynamics that shape how that ‘yes’ is reached.

Mme Maguette Diouf, midwife in hospital, with 15 years’ experience in the maternity wards in both urban and rural areas, noted that abortion has negative impacts on the reproductive health of the woman, and complications arising from back-door abortions are the highest contribution to maternal death and infection in Senegal. She noted that stigma and discrimination pose as huge barriers to adolescents and adult women’s access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services and information; further, that midwives often wear multiple hats, including as psychologists, mothers, advisors, and so forth, but they can only give women and girls the available options and it is for the woman to decide. Moreover, she noted with caution that often, by the time a woman comes for assistance, the decision on what heath action to take has already been decided by the family and instructed to the woman, such that it may appear to constitute consent, but in practice this is not always the case.

Dr Ndèye Khady BABOU, a feministe, working on issue of obstetric violence, spoke about the complex realities surrounding women’s ability to decide whether to have children, how many to have, and when to have them – decisions that are often controlled by men. She explained how difficult it is for a woman to propose the use of contraceptives to her sexual partner. She also traced the evolution of women’s sexual and reproductive health, noting that the female anatomy was not comprehensively mapped and understood until around 1998. A further issue of concern she noted was how the healthcare system is designed to favour the rich who have access to resources and, conversely, is designed to let the poor die because they have limited choices. She reflected on the Mali Kouroukan Fouga Charter and how its approach to gender-based violence is outdated.

Professor Frans Viljoen and Dr Papa Fara Diallo presented concluding remarks and the vote of thanks, noting the important role of the network of the Global Campus of Human Rights, and the financial support from the European Union. Particular thanks and recognition were also given to the teams in Senegal and South Africa that worked together to make this event a huge success, and to the students and staff who travelled from Saint Louis to Dakar, a four-hour drive, in order to participate in this important engagement.