Across West Africa, violence against women and girls (VAWG) continues to undermine fundamental human rights, limit public participation, and threaten community safety. According to UN Women’s Gender Snapshot, an estimated 14 million women experienced intimate partner violence in the past year across the region. Women hold only 11% of seats in national parliaments and 13% of local government seats across the region.
From 14–16 July 2026, women parliamentarians, Ministers of Gender and civil society leaders gathered in Accra to launch the West Africa Female Parliamentarians Movement on Ending VAWG.
Organized by the Women in Politics Forum (WIPF) and UN Women West and Central Africa, the conference was held under the ACT to End VAWG programme, supported by the European Union, UN Women and the UN Trust Fund.
Participants stressed the need for stronger alliances capable of driving legislative reforms across the sub-region and ensuring that commitments translate into safety for women and girls.
An Emerging Threat: The Pushback on Girls’ Rights
In the West and Central Africa region, there remains a troubling pushback against the rights of women and girls, exacerbated by emerging global crises. “Climate-induced shocks are escalating economic stress, are driving a rise in child marriages and exploitation. Digital violence continues to target young women and female political leaders.” Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, Nigerian legal scholar, human rights activist, and leading authority on gender equality and human trafficking.
UN Women data show that laws alone are not enough if access to justice remains out of reach. The ACT programme strengthens partnerships between women’s rights organizations and decision-makers to advance action on ending violence against women and girls.
“This evidence is vital for parliamentarians. It equips legislators to move from concern to action: to review laws and policies, ask the right parliamentary questions, scrutinize budgets, strengthen oversight, and build cross-party consensus for reforms that protect women and girls.” Afua Ansre, Programme Manager, Gender Partnerships and Institutional Support, UN Women
High-Level Political Mobilization
Parliamentarians emphasized that ending VAWG is a national development imperative and a legislative emergency.
Senator Ireti Kingibe, Chair of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Women Affairs and only the second woman in history to represent Abuja in the Senate, emphasized strategic political leveraging:
“As women, we cannot just beg; we must become a unified lobbying bloc. We must make it clear that any politician who does not support gender bills will not receive the votes of women.”
Similarly, Hon. Zuweira Ibrahim Mohammed, the first female MP elected from Ghana's Salaga South constituency and a former diplomat, highlighted grassroots awareness:
“I firmly believe that women hold the inherent power to change things. Our single biggest resource is women themselves. They simply need to be educated on their rights.”
Evidence-Based Action & Next Steps
The movement also reinforces efforts to protect women leaders and strengthen safe political participation across the region.
Participants adopted the Accra Declaration and committed to key actions under the new movement:
Legislative harmonization: Advocating for an ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on VAWG to establish uniform cross-border protections.
Gender-responsive budgeting: Securing national funding for survivor services and legal aid.
Accountability: Establishing an annual Ministerial Summit and regional scorecard.
The movement marks a significant step toward a future where every woman and girl can live free from violence and discrimination.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women - Africa.
