Banjul, The Gambia – October 2025
During the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, the Disabled Women in Africa (DIWA) network took center stage in two major engagements that advanced the continental agenda for equality and disability inclusion.
The first was a side event on Reparations, Intersectionality and Justice for Women with Disabilities, hosted by DIWA in collaboration with the ACHPR Secretariat. The second was a joint side event with the African Disability Forum (ADF), Validity Foundation and Sightsavers advocating for the ratification and implementation of the African Disability Protocol (ADP).
Together, these dialogues underscored DIWA’s leadership in ensuring that Africa’s human-rights and justice frameworks fully include the voices and experiences of women and girls with disabilities.
The reparations session drew human-rights advocates, commissioners, civil-society organizations and organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to reflect on how reparative-justice processes can recognise historical and ongoing harms against women with disabilities.
“Justice for women with disabilities must go beyond compensation,” said Musola Kasaketi, Program Manager of DIWA, Zambia. “It must repair dignity, restore participation and dismantle the systemic inequalities that continue to oppress and silence us.”
Speakers from DIWA, ADF and Inclusion Africa analysed how intersectionality, the overlap of gender, disability, class and other identities, shapes women’s access to justice. They called on States to integrate disability and gender perspectives into national reparation frameworks and transitional-justice mechanisms, provide psychosocial and symbolic redress alongside financial compensation, and establish consultation mechanisms that include women with disabilities and their representative organizations.
In the second side event, DIWA joined ADF, Validity Foundation and Sightsavers to call for the accelerated ratification of the African Disability Protocol, the continent’s most comprehensive instrument on disability rights. The discussion reaffirmed that, although the ADP has entered into force, several Member States have yet to ratify or domesticate it.
“The ADP is not just another treaty; it is Africa’s own voice speaking to our realities,” Ruth stated. “Each unratified State represents a gap in justice, a silence where accountability should speak.”
Panelists highlighted findings from DIWA’s and ADF’s regional work under the SPADRA Project (Strengthening Partnerships to Advance Disability Rights in Africa), funded by SIDA and implemented with Inclusion Africa. The research identified gaps in national disability laws and stressed the importance of gender-responsive legislation aligned with the ADP.
The event concluded with a joint call to AU Member States to ratify and implement the Protocol, harmonize national laws with regional commitments and ensure the meaningful participation of women with disabilities in monitoring and reporting processes.
“Non-ratification is not a technical delay, it is a denial of justice,” Ruth added. “If Africa is serious about equality, then ratifying and implementing the ADP is not optional, it is urgent.”
Through both side events, DIWA strengthened alliances with feminist movements, OPDs and regional institutions, positioning women with disabilities at the heart of Africa’s justice and equality agenda.
“Our vision is a continent where no woman is invisible to justice,” Ruth concluded. “Reparations and inclusion must work hand-in-hand to build systems that guarantee dignity and equality for future generations.”
