Campaigning for women's rights in Ethiopia : the law as a tool for social change

• Main Author: Burgess, G.
• Published: University of Cambridge 2007
• Subjects: 340
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.597086

This research explores the relationship between the Ethiopian women’s movement, the state, and the law. It looks at how women’s activism that focuses on legal change and personal rights may also make a contribution to political culture and the process of democratisation more generally. The study outlines Ethiopia’s recent political history and its transition to democracy, exploring in particular the history of women’s activism. In Ethiopia, as its civil society has emerged, particular women’s or women-focused organisations have been at the forefront of the changes. One organisation in particular, the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) has emerged as a driving force in Ethiopian civil society. The study explores how this organisation is using a legal change to try and improve women’s rights. With a focus on violence against women, the study shows how a gap existed between legislation at different scales in Ethiopia. The commitments Ethiopia has made to international human rights conventions and the protections for women enshrined in the Ethiopian Constitution were not reflected in national legislation. The research explores how EWLA tried to close this gap through lobbying for legal reform, and examines the role that international human rights frameworks played in this process. The study then addresses the implementation of the law, analysing the difficulties encountered in using the law in practice to protect women’s rights.