Musawah has had a long standing relationship and engagement with advocates working on MFL reform, Islam and Muslim women’s rights from the region.
This partnership dates back to its founding conference in 2009 that took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where approx. 30 participants represented the continent.
We have strengthened relationships with advocates from Senegal, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and The Gambia, and most recently in 2021, established a sustained programmatic effort in the Greater Horn of Africa, thanks to Dutch Govt funded We Cannot Wait Consortium ( WCW) project that covers Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and Somalia and Somaliland. Through the WCW, Musawah offers technical support on MFL reform, Islam, gender, and women’s rights to national partners in each of these countries.
Some highlights of our achievements
Over 50 advocates have taken the InGEJ course
Musawah has given tailored capacity building trainings on MFL, Islam and gender to five national partners in five countries the Greater Horn of Africa
Musawah and partners under AFLN have organised and mobilised over 100 advocates working on family law reform in the region, and through the platform, supported them to advocate for reform of discriminatory family laws at national and regional levels
Through the MFL regional thematic group that convenes every two months, Musawah deepens the knowledge of advocates on issues related to Islam, gender, and women’s rights in Muslim contexts. Over 100 advocates have benefited from this initiative since its establishment in late 2021
Creating advocacy tools and reports for family law reform particularly in Muslim contexts to support advocacy efforts. Eight new publications on status of Muslim family laws legislative frameworks and practices were created under this project, which are: (In)Visible The Digital Threats Muslim Women Human Rights Defenders Face in the Greater Horn of Africa, Comparative Review on MFL Legal Frameworks in seven countries in the Horn of Africa, Five country reports on status of MFLs: Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia and Somaliland
Disseminate Musawah publications (KBs, PBs, advocacy toolkit, etc) to advocates to support their work as needed
