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The Centre for Human Rights (the Centre) in partnership with Women in Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Lesotho hosted a one-day stakeholders’ meeting on compliance with the concluding observations and recommendations under the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol). The meeting took place in Maseru, Lesotho on 13 April 2023.

The government of the Kingdom of Lesotho presented its combined 2nd to 8th periodic report on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the initial report on the Maputo Protocol (the Report) to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission) in January 2019 in compliance with its reporting obligations. The Report was considered by the African Commission during its 64th Ordinary session held from 24 April – 14 May 2019 in Sharm el Sheikh, Arab Republic of Egypt. The African Commission adopted concluding observations and recommendations to the Report at the 68th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights which was held virtually from 14 April to 04 May 2021. Concluding observations give an account of the positive aspects, the factors restricting the enjoyment of human rights and the areas of concern regarding the exercise of human rights in the country. The African Commission also makes recommendations to guide state parties in dealing with the concerns raised. State parties are then expected to take steps to ensure that the concerns raised are addressed before the next reporting period. Although these concluding observations are not legally binding, they provide a strong basis upon which civil society groups can hold governments accountable for the guarantee of rights.

Focusing on the concluding observations and recommendations relating to the rights of women, the one-day meeting aimed to create awareness among civil society organisations regarding the concluding observations and recommendations issued on the Report and develop a mechanism to popularise and implement concluding observations and recommendations on the Maputo Protocol.

Key recommendations that were provided by the African Commission for the implementation of Lesotho included: addressing the reservation made to Article 2 of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) relating to customary law; the prevailing constitutional exemption in section 18(4) (c) of the Constitution of customary law from considerations of discrimination; women’s inability to pass their nationality to their spouses and children on an equal basis with men; gender-based violence and the general lack of representation of women in political participation, economic participation and decision making processes. In focus group discussions, the participants suggested specific measures and initiatives engaged by the government of Lesotho on its own and in partnership with CSOs and development partners to implement the recommendations of the African Commission contained in the Report and the impact of these on the promotion and protection of women’s rights. Participants included the government ministries responsible for the implementation of the issues raised in the concluding observations and recommendations and civil society organisations working on women’s rights and the National Human Rights Institute.


For more information, please contact:

Matilda Lasseko-Phooko (she/her)
Manager: Women’s Right Unit

Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 4306
 matilda.lasseko-phooko@up.ac.za