Luanda: The Angolan government is accelerating the ratification process of the African Union Convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, a legal instrument to strengthen the prevention and fight against gender-based violence. The Minister of Social Action, Family and Women's Promotion (MASFAMU), Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto, announced on Monday in Luanda at the opening of the High-Level Technical Assistance Mission to Angola to support the ratification process of the African Union Convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, which is taking place from July 13 to 15 in the Angolan capital. According to Angola Press News Agency, Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto explained that the document is currently under analysis by several ministerial departments, namely the Social Action, Family and Women's Promotion sector, Foreign Affairs, and Justice and Human Rights, before being sent to the National Assembly, the body responsible for ratification. The government official stres sed that the Convention strengthens African and international legal instruments for the protection of the rights of women and girls, promoting a firmer response against all forms of gender-based violence. "Violence is a crime, it harms development and constitutes a violation of the human rights of women and girls. It must be combated permanently," she stressed. In turn, the head of the Coordination and Extension Department of the Directorate for Women, Gender and Youth of the African Union Commission, Lehau Victoria Maloka, considered Angola one of the priority countries in the continental strategy to combat gender-based violence. The official highlighted that the country demonstrated leadership by signing the Convention soon after its adoption and has maintained its commitment through the regular submission of reports to African human rights mechanisms. According to Lehau Victoria Maloka, the main objective of the technical mission is to support Angolan institutions in understanding the new legal instrumen t, clarify doubts about its application and facilitate the ratification and implementation process. The representative of the African Union revealed that, since it is a Convention adopted about a year ago, only Gambia has so far completed the parliamentary ratification process, and is in the formalization phase with the authorities of that country and the African Union Commission. It was reported that during the mission, the African Union delegation will hold meetings with the Ministries of Justice and Human Rights, Foreign Affairs, and the National Assembly, with a view to strengthening the institutional coordination necessary for the completion of the ratification process. The meeting aimed to strengthen dialogue between state institutions, Parliament, civil society organizations, partners and other relevant actors, promoting awareness of the Convention, identifying challenges and defining actions that contribute to its effective implementation in Angola. During the three days of work, technical meetings and consultations will be held with different stakeholders, concluding with the definition of an action plan with priorities, institutional responsibilities and deadlines to support the ratification process.
