AU WATCH

About Us

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20 years ago, 189 countries adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a visionary roadmap for women’s rights and empowerment. Much has been achieved since then, but much more needs to be done and can be done, a world in which gender equality is a reality.
‘We Have Rights Too’ is AU Watch’s gender-based policy, advocacy, research, think-and-do tank on and about the African woman. ‘We Have Rights Too’ monitors the AU gender institutions by the standard of the Constitutive Act and the standards of the legal instruments of its various institutions. It challenges and holds to account the AU and States Parties to the Constitutive Act to live up to those standards and ideals on gender they have set for themselves. It serves as a promoting, mobilizing, networking, information, advocacy and training platform for African women by building their knowledge, skills, leadership capacities to influence policy and decision making at both the AU, its institutions and its Members. ‘We Have Rights Too’ leads, guides, and coordinates AU Watch’s efforts on gender equality and development in the continent. The program promotes women’s empowerment by promoting the AU’s Agenda 2063 vision, and by advocating and campaigning that AU Member States comply with the AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA). ‘We Have Rights Too’ works to strengthen the voice, impact and influence of African women’s rights advocates and organizations.

Our Journey and Destination

‘We Have Rights Too’ is an integral part of the AU Watch structure with the goal of becoming the definitive source of expert news, information, research and analysis and assistance about gender justice in Africa.
Along our journey, part of our mission has been to contribute in as many ways as possible to “connecting the potential of Africa’s girls and women and to the achievement of Agenda 20163.

Our envisioned destination is to see the African continent realising growth and opportunity for its people, and thriving as a hub for innovation and development across all sectors. We believe that this can only be achieved through smart collaboration and well-informed decision-making.

Who We Are

We are writers, media professionals, teachers, development consultants, expert analysts, academics, researchers, social scientists, strategists, statisticians and editors who share their tremendous passion for gender justice and equality in Africa and who are committed to catalysing courage for girls and women around Africa to live and create courageously.
Our team, coupled with our wealth of knowledge on and experience in gender justice and equality in Africa distinguish us as leaders on women-focused intelligence.At our core is a movement that provides access to conversation, community, and connection.
With headquarters in Banjul, The Gambia and consultants spread across the African continent, ‘We Matter Too’ combines in-country presence and expertise with a holistic understanding of what we as women need to do to achieve equality and gender justice in Africa.

Vision Statement

‘We Have Rights Too’ is a leading voice in the regional movement to end inequality, poverty and violence against women and girls. ‘We Matter Too’ envisions an Africa where feminist realities flourish so that everyone can thrive, with dignity, love and respect – an Africa that builds international partnerships that advance laws, values, and practices to create communities where gender equality is a reality, and where all women and girls live a healthy, fulfilling life of self-reliance and dignity, and live free from violence and threats of violence.

Mission Statement

  • ‘We Have Rights Too’ works with grassroot African women and leaders in the continent to advance women and girls’ human right to achieve the AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, and to live free from inequality, poverty and violence through legal reform, institutional and social change.
  • To end inequality, poverty and violence against women by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centred strategies and advocating for their widespread adoption all over Africa. We mobilise financial, human and material resources to support initiatives for transformation led by African women, women’s rights organisations and African women’s movements.
  • To monitor the AU gender institutions by the standard of the Constitutive Act and the standards of the legal instruments of its various institutions. We challenge and holdto account the AU and States Parties to the Constitutive Act to live up to those standards and ideals on gender they have set for themselves. We,therefore,support feminist, women’s rights and gender justice movements and groups across Africa in challenging norms and systems of oppression, and to co-create feminist realities.
  • To promote, mobilize, network, inform, advocate and train African women by building their knowledge, skills, leadership capacities to influence policy and decision making at both the AU, its institutions and its Members.

What We Believe

We know the inequality faced by ‘the women gender’ and violence cannot be ignored. We understand that it is quite visible and obvious that this unevenness has been the result of a prevalent patriarchal approach for over decades now. We also know it’s possible for inequality, violence against women and hunger to end, and that our generation has the power to end it, in readiness for 2063. In our collective experience, women and girls who live lives of inequality are not the problem. We are the solution. The task at hand work, therefore, is to unlock our capacity, creativity and leadership so that we can end inequality, poverty and violence against women. ‘We Have Rights Too ’ empowers women and men to understand that Agenda 2063 is not achievable if half of its population are living in poverty and unequal lives.

Our Values

We carry our work guided by:

  • A commitment to all women’s right to equality and offender accountability for violence. We believe in the personhood of African girls and women, and that our rights are an inalienable, indivisible and integral part of universal human rights.
  • Ubuntu: We serve women living in extreme poverty with respect, empathy and dignity regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion or education level, and value our common humanity.

  • We believe that change happens through collective action. We partnerand collaborate with organizations and communities to build our movements regionally, recognising that this organising is linked to movements for justice and equality across the continent. 
  • The belief the violence against women and girls is an act of discrimination and a tool to subjugate women interrelated with multiple institutions of oppression such as racism, classism, and sexism.
  • A sustained commitment to justice by helping to shape and implement laws to effectively prevent and respond to violence against women and girls

 

Would you like to join our team?

‘WeHave Rights Too’ is constantly on the lookout for new writers, development consultants, researchers, research assistants, analysts, interns, editors and students’ volunteers to join our team.

Find out more about joining the team here.