Advancing Justice and Reparations for African Women and Girls: Highlights from the 41st GIMAC Pre-Summit CSOs Consultative Meeting
The 41st Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Network Pre-Summit Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Consultative Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union (AU) and the 13th GIMAC Young Women Advocacy Training convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 6th to 8th February 2025. Under the theme “Advancing the Agenda for Justice and Reparations for African Women and Girls,” the gathering aligned with the AU’s 2025 theme: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.”
This landmark meeting brought together feminist activists, civil society leaders, policymakers, and young women advocates to reaffirm commitments to justice and reparations, recognizing that historical injustices continue to shape the economic, social, and political landscapes of African women and girls today. Participants acknowledged the significance of reparative justice in dismantling systemic inequalities that have persisted due to colonialism, slavery, apartheid, and ongoing global economic exploitation.
Commending the African Union’s commitment to prioritizing reparations for transatlantic slavery, colonialism, genocide, and cultural restitution, the convening reaffirmed previous declarations such as the 1993 Abuja Proclamation, the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and the Accra Declaration on Reparations and Racial Healing. These commitments highlight the need for multigenerational and transnational efforts, engaging grassroots communities, civil society, and policymakers in driving systemic change.
Reparations were framed not merely as financial compensation but as a transformative process that restores dignity, addresses socio-economic disparities, and ensures gender-responsive governance. The meeting underscored the urgency of reforming global financial systems, advocating for debt cancellation, fair taxation, and climate reparations, particularly for African women who disproportionately bear the brunt of environmental degradation and extractive economies.
A key focus of the discussions was the role of accountability in ensuring justice for African women and girls. Participants called for the urgent ratification of the AU Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls (CEVAWG), harmonized with the Maputo Protocol, alongside increased investment in gender-responsive public services such as healthcare, education, and social protection. Addressing land dispossession was also highlighted as a critical component of reparative justice, urging AU Member States to safeguard women’s land rights and prevent corporate-driven displacement.
In solidarity with women in conflict-affected regions, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic, the gathering emphasized the need for full implementation of the AU Transitional Justice Policy and operationalization of the AU Transitional Justice Fund. Truth-telling, healing, and restorative justice processes must center women’s voices, ensuring compensation and accountability for past and present atrocities.
The young women advocates who participated in the 13th GIMAC Young Women Advocacy Training reflected on how this year’s theme deepened their understanding of reparations.
Nancy Barasa, a young Kenyan feminist shared, “This theme has broadened my perspective on reparations beyond financial compensation. It is about restoring dignity, rewriting history, and ensuring that African women’s contributions are recognized and valued.”
Hildana Wendesen from Ethiopia added, “For the first time, I see reparations as a bridge to justice—not just for past harms but as a transformative tool for our future. African women deserve more than acknowledgment; they deserve action.”
According to Dr. Amany Asfour, FEMNET’s board chair Justice, accountability, and redress don’t happen by chance, they require deliberate action. ” A reparations fund for Women and a Reparation Gender Task Force are steps toward real change. Reparations are essential.”
Justice and reparations for African women, girls, and people of African descent are non-negotiable. As the 41st GIMAC Pre-Summit CSOs Consultative Meeting concluded, participants issued a strong call to action for AU Member States to implement concrete reparative justice frameworks that honor African women’s resilience and contributions. The journey towards justice continues, and the voices of African women will remain at the forefront, demanding systemic change and accountability for a just and equitable future.
