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African human rights activist says that the continent has failed women

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A professor and human rights advocate, Chi Mgbako, says in this opinion piece that without a second wave of emancipation for Africa’s women, 50 years from now the continent will be grappling with the same dreams deferred and opportunities lost.

Despite that dire prediction, however, she says that there are signs of hope. If you were born today, with the highest chance of contracting HIV/AIDS, dying in childbirth, exiting school prematurely, or suffering sexual assault as the result of armed conflict, by most indicators, you would likely be born a woman in Africa. And if you were born with a high propensity for courage and with the potential to carry an entire continent on your back – the answer might well be the same.

In acknowledgment of the continent’s failures regarding women’s empowerment, the African Union declared the years 2010 – 2020 as the “African Women’s Decade,” an opportunity to right political, social and economic wrongs through the implementation of aggressive gender-sensitive policies.

Of course, it is much easier to declare a women’s decade than to muster the political will to realize one. But as African states look back on 50 years of independence, they must recognize that women’s emancipation is a central component of Africa’s true liberation.

Read the full story on AllAfrica.com.

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