African Structural Adjustment: Women and Legal Challenges

Despite global and regional promotion of human rights, the United Nations consistently receives reports of human rights violations which cast doubt upon the commitment of many member nations. One specific area of violation and questionable commitment on the part of states is that concerning the rights of women. Even the regional instruments purporting to give effect to the obligation o promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, which states assumed under the U.N. Charter, pay only passing attention to the issue of human rights. This article examines the Banjul Charter on Human Rights and Peoples' Rights. It evaluates the extent to which it accords recognition to the human rights of women. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between the recognition of the rights of women and the prospect for the socio- economic development of Africa. This article first reviews currently recognized women's rights and appraises those rights in light of the objectives they seek. Second, this article provides an analysis of the commitment that African states have to women's rights and will indicate the effect that current recognition of these rights will have on the socio-economic development of Africa.