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20th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocole
Quality Care
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocol: Shifting the trajectory of Women’s rights in the DRC
The Maputo Protocol is a groundbreaking legal instrument, developed, signed, and adopted by African states to protect and promote the rights of African women, making it one of a kind. 20 years since its adoption in Maputo, Mozambique the domestication of the Maputo Protocol in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been remarkable, from its publication in the National Gazette in 2018 to the development of Comprehensive Abortion Care Standards and Guidelines among many others, the progress achieved thus far merited a celebration and gives hope for the future of Congolese women.
On July 11th, 2023, endorsed by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, the Ministry of Gender held a landmark celebration for the 20th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocol. This celebration united key stakeholders such as the Minister of Human Rights, Minister of Youth, representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Presidents Director of Cabinet, the Permanent Secretary of the Superior Judiciary Council, parliamentarians, the Canadian Ambassador and representatives of diplomatic corps (Sweden, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, and the UK), police and military corps, international organizations, gender-responsive media, researchers, legal actors, youth, women, civil society-organizations, and community leaders. The objective of this event was to celebrate and acknowledge the countries ownership of the instrument and the progress made over the last 20 years in domesticating the Maputo Protocol, highlight the innovative work and contributions of champions, and to reflect on the future and dialogue about scalable solutions with sustainable outcomes that bolster women’s rights in the country and beyond. “The strong mobilization of the government as well as the presidency for this celebration is outstanding; these leaders co-led panels and boldly spoke about the government’s responsibility in creating an enabling environment for women’s rights including abortion rights” stated Gisele Kapinga, High Commissioner at the National Commission for Human Rights.
Ministers, Director of Cabinet of the President, Partners and Donors. This celebration was marked by strong declarations from the government, parliamentarians, civil society leaders, and leading women’s rights activists.
“Women in our country are victims of great injustices since birth, the Maputo protocol enables us to tackle these inequalities and build sustainable solutions to repair these historical injustices” says H.E. Fabrice Mpuela, Minister of Human Rights as he co-led the opening panel with the Minister of Youth, DRC President’s Director of Cabinet, and Ipas DRC’s Country Director.
“The fact that women are denied access to safe abortion, does not mean that they will not have an abortion; what it means is that they will do it but in an unsafe way, risking their lives” stated Member of Parliament and President of the Permanent Commission on Gender, Honorable Christelle Vuanga who called for all stakeholders including those in the health system and the judiciary system to create a bridge and work together to ensure that women have access to a safe choice without fear of imprisonment.
The research on the impact of the domestication of the Maputo Protocol conducted by the University of Kinshasa School of Public Health in collaboration with Ipas and the Ministry of health presented during this event highlighted the challenges in its application on the field, especially within the judicial and health system.
During his keynote address, H.E. Benoît-Pierre Laramée, Ambassador of Canada to the Democratic Republic of Congo, stated the following “I am convinced that the full implementation of this protocol will strengthen the bodily autonomy of women and girls in the DRC, improve their well-being and their socio-economic empowerment.”
This message was strongly backed by the Permanent Secretary of the Superior Judiciary Council, who emphasized that the judiciary system has taken all measures to ensure that women have access to all the provisions of the Maputo Protocol including safe abortion care.
Reflecting on the next steps with civil society organizations such as the Youth Sprint Movement, Women Lawyers Association, and partners (DKT, MSI, and Ipas) on what the next 20 years hold for the future of Congolese women and girls; these activists called for all stakeholders and donors to accelerate the full implementation of the Maputo Protocol by revising the penal code and all other laws that hinder women’s rights. The fervent engagement of diverse stakeholders supporting the implementation of the Maputo Protocol and safe abortion rights in the DRC, gives Ipas and partners leading the fight renewed hope and fuel to making the promises of the Maputo Protocol a reality for women and girls across the DRC.
H.E. Antoinette Kipulu, Minister of Vocational Training and Trades during her opening speec