Summary

The programme of activities for the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent gives great importance to the promotion and protection of the rights of women of African descent. In this context, the present report provides an overview of the enjoyment of human rights by women and girls of African descent, drawing from the work of international human rights mechanisms. The report is also informed by responses from key stakeholders to a questionnaire circulated by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Women and girls of African descent face intersecting and multiple forms of discrimination, including based on race/ethnicity, sex, gender, nationality, migration status and/or other social status. The present report focuses on women who belong to communities descended from victims of the transatlantic slave trade and migrant African women in the diaspora. The report contains an analysis of the findings of international human rights mechanisms in select areas, in order to illustrate how discrimination against women and girls of African descent is manifested. The areas selected, based on the Programme of Activities for the International Decade, are poverty, education, health, employment, administration of justice, political participation, gender-based violence and stereotypes. Throughout the report, good practices for the realization of the rights of women and girls of African descent are highlighted. The report also contains recommendations for the improvement of the human rights situation of women and girls of African descent.

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