By Fatima Kpaka
Sierra Leone – September 7, 2026: The Honourable Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, His Lordship Justice Komba Kamanda, has called on African judiciaries to adopt stronger, gender‑sensitive approaches to interpreting and enforcing women’s health and reproductive rights.
Delivering the keynote address at a Regional Judicial Colloquium held at The Lead Hotel in Freetown, Chief Justice Kamanda emphasized the need for courts to ensure that rights guaranteed under African and international human‑rights instruments become practical realities rather than “aspirational promises.”
Gender‑Sensitive Judicial Approaches
The colloquium, organized by the Africa Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF) and the Center for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria, focused on the judicial enforcement of Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol, which protects women’s sexual and reproductive health rights.
Chief Justice Kamanda urged judges to interpret Article 14 alongside Article 16 of the African Charter, which guarantees the right to the best attainable state of physical and mental health. He cautioned against allowing stereotypes about motherhood, sexuality, marriage, family responsibilities, and gender roles to influence judicial reasoning.
“True impartiality requires the court to approach each case without stereotypes or preconceived assumptions,” he said.
Call for Effective Remedies
The Chief Justice stressed that women’s rights must be interpreted consistently with human dignity, equality, and non‑discrimination. He called for effective remedies, stronger judicial training on gender‑sensitive adjudication, and deeper judicial dialogue across African jurisdictions.
He further highlighted that meaningful access to justice must include affordable legal assistance, comprehensible procedures, protection from intimidation, gender‑sensitive judicial officers, and enforceable decisions.
Regional Perspectives
Honourable Dr. Justice Alfred Mavedzenge, Programs Director of the AJJF, noted that legal recognition alone does not guarantee women’s enjoyment of their rights, citing persistent legal, institutional, socio‑cultural, and economic barriers.
Madam Menisa Sesay, President of Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality, Rights and Social Justice (LAWYERS), described women’s health and reproductive rights as fundamental human rights, thanking AJJF and the Center for Human Rights for convening the meeting.
Prof. Nkatha Murungi, Executive Director of the Center for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, also addressed the gathering virtually, providing a comprehensive background on the organization’s work.
Chief Justice Kamanda officially declared the colloquium open, urging participants to strengthen jurisprudence, improve judicial practice, and deepen cooperation among African judiciaries.