Understanding Violence Against Women in Africa

This textbook provides students across Social Sciences, Humanities, Politics, and International Studies with an in-depth understanding of the issues, policies, and strategies for addressing the symptoms and root causes of violence against women (VAW) in sub-Saharan Africa. This text uses the United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on Women, Peace and Security in Eastern and Southern Africa as a framework to present the causes and impacts of VAW and to trace the journey of sub-Saharan African countries toward gender equality. It also provides an overview of the policy and legislative frameworks that underpin the progress, challenges, and achievements of addressing VAW based on four key pillars: prevention, protection, participation, and relief and recovery. Chapters provide a wealth of knowledge, as the book draws on academic literature; national, regional, and international legislations; and data collected from field research, and makes use of end-of-chapter discussion questions and quick study guides.

Students will come away equipped with the tools, resources, and knowledge necessary to address and fix VAW in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
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Francis Onditi heads the School of International Relations and Diplomacy in Riara University, Kenya and was recently enlisted as a Distinguished Author and Professor of Research at the Institute of Intelligent Systems, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is the 2019 recipient of the AISA Fellowship awarded by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa. He is a widely published pan-African peace researcher with numerous research papers in peer reviewed journals. He has authored/coedited 3 books including Conflictology: Systems, Institutions and Mechanisms in Africa.

Josephine Odera is the immediate former Director of Africa Centre for Transformative & Inclusive Leadership (ACTIL). She formerly served as Regional Director, West and Central Africa, UN Women; Regional Advisor, Leadership & Governance at the United Nations Women Regional Office for East and Southern Africa; and taught at the University of Nairobi's Institute of Diplomacy & International Studies (IDIS). She currently serves as a conflict & mediation expert in various African countries.