Evaluating The Implementation of The Maputo Protocol in The Protection of Women's Rights in Kenya
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The Maputo Protocol is the most progressive provision specified by the African Nations regarding the importance of women's protection. The content of the protocol was agreed upon by the board of the African Union in Maputo, Mozambique, in July 2003. Entering twenty years of implementation in 2023, 44 of 55 governments of the African countries have committed to protecting women's rights based on the protocol's provisions. Kenya has only ratified the protocol since 2010, which is relatively new compared to the other African countries. This research aims to explain and evaluate the implementation of the Maputo Protocol in Kenya from its ratification in 2010 until the end of 2023. This research uses a qualitative method to gain a comprehensive understanding by analyzing any information from official documents, previous research, related journals, news reports, and other secondary sources. The results show a huge commitment from the government, agencies, institutions, and the Kenyan community to improve women's conditions by supporting the protocol's implementation. As a result, women's rights in the country have shown some progress in recent years. However, some problems related to gender inequality still exist and need to be the primary concern of the government and the people of Kenya.
Keywords: Maputo Protocol, Women’s Rights, Kenya
Protokol Maputo merupakan aturan mengenai perlindungan perempuan yang berlaku di kawasan Afrika. Pemberlakuan protokol disepakati oleh negara-negara anggota African Union di Maputo, Mozambik, pada Juli tahun 2003. Memasuki dua puluh tahun implementasi Protokol Maputo pada tahun 2023, sebanyak 44 dari 55 negara Afrika telah menyatakan komitmennya untuk melindungi hak-hak perempuan sebagaimana yang diatur di dalam ketentuan protokol. Kenya merupakan salah satu negara yang baru meratifikasi Protokol Maputo pada tahun 2010. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan dan mengevaluasi implementasi Protokol Maputo di Kenya sejak meratifikasi pada tahun 2010 sampai 2023. Penelitian ini menggunakan metodologi kualitatif dalam rangka memperoleh pemahaman komprehensif dengan menganalisis berbagai informasi terkait dari dokumen kenegaraan, penelitian sebelumnya, jurnal, berita, dan sumber-sumber sekunder lainnya. Secara umum, diketahui bahwa sejak meratifikasi Protokol Maputo, Kenya telah menunjukkan beberapa progres perlindungan hak asasi perempuan. Kendati demikian, berbagai permasalahan mengenai ketidaksetaraan gender masih terjadi dan patut mendapatkan perhatian serius dari pemerintah dan komunitas masyarakat di Kenya.
Kata-kata Kunci: Protokol Maputo, Perlindungan Perempuan, Kenya
Book and Book Chapters
Geng, Jing, 2019. “The Maputo Protocol and the Reconciliation of Gender and Culture in Africa”, in Rimmer, Susan Harris, and Kate Ogg (eds.), 2019. Research Handbook on Feminist Engagement with International Law. Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing.
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Mutambasere, Susan C., and Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, 2023. “Introduction” in Mutambasere, Susan C., et al. (eds.), 2023. The Impact of the Maputo Protocol in Selected African Countries. Durban: Pretoria University Press.
Journal and Online Journal
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Report
African Development Bank, 2020. African Gender Index Report 2019. Côte d’Ivoire: African Development Bank and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
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Kenya National Bureau of Statistic, 2022. Kenya Demographic Health Survei 2022. Kenya National Bureau of Statistic.
The Republic of Kenya, 2021. Combined Report of The 12th and 13th Periodic Reports on The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and The Initial Report on the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights of Women in Africa. The Government of Kenya.
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Official Document
African Union (AU), 2003. Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa 2003.
Constitution of Kenya 2010, 2010. Kenya: The National Council for Law Reporting.
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR), 2021. Advisory on the Removal of Kenya’s Reservation on Article 14 (2) (c) of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.
The Ministry of Devolution and Planning of Kenya, 2014. National Policy for Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence.
The National Gender and Equality Commission, 2011. The National Gender and Equality Commission Act 2011.
Online Article
Cowling, Natalie, 2023. “Gender Gap Index in Kenya from 2017 to 2023” [online]. In https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220570/gender-gap-index-in-kenya/ [accessed at 02 January 2024].
Cowling, Natalie, 2023. “Labour Force Participation Rate in Kenya 2010 to 2021 by Gender” [online]. In https://www.statista.com/statistics/1233999/labor-force-participation-rate-in-kenya-by-gender/ [accessed at 02 January 2024].
Galal, Saifidin, 2023. “Gender Gap Index in Sub-Saharan Africa 2023 by Country” [online]. In https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220485/gender-gap-index-in-sub-saharan-africa-by-country [accessed at 10 January 2024].
Kenya Vision 2030, n.d., “Gender Mainstreaming” [online]. In https://vision2030.go.ke/project/gender-mainstreaming/. [accessed at 29 January 2024].
The Conversation, 2021. “Violence Against Women in Kenya: Data Provides a Glimpse into a Grim Situation” [online]. In https://theconversation.com/violence-against-women-in-kenya-data-provides-a-glimpse-into-a-grim-situation-170109 [accessed at 02 January 2024].
Others
WGDD of the African Union Commission, 2020. “Maputo Protocols on Human Rights [pdf]”. In https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/31520-doc-maputo_protocol_on_womens_rights_a_living_document_for_womens_human_rights_in_africa_submitted_by_the_women_gender_and_development_directorate_wgdd_of_the_african_union_commission.pdf. [accessed on 02 January 2024].
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