African leaders call for protection of girls’ rights

African women rights organisation have called on governments to re-dedicate themselves to upholding laws that advance women’s right and gender equality.
This is one of the recommendations contained in a communique by the organisations in Ethiopia, as they discussed the progress made in the field of women and girls’ rights, 20 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted.
The women say most of the gains made in upholding these rights have come under various threats, notably widening inequalities between men and women, as well as HIV, maternal mortality and morbidity which continue to be amongst leading causes of death for women.
They further say insecurity on the continent has left women and girls more vulnerable, citing the recent abduction of girls in Nigeria by the militant Boko Haram group.
The communique recommends that women’s rights and empowerment be placed as one of the top priorities in the post-2015 agenda in order to achieve gender equality in the continent.