A two-day training brought together state actors, traditional and religious leaders, healthcare professionals, journalists, and civil society stakeholders to strengthen the application of Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol.
On September 29 and 30, 2025, Cotonou hosted a major event that marked an important step in addressing sexual and reproductive rights in Benin. The Network of Women Leaders for Development (RFLD), in partnership with Equality Now and the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) coalition, organized a capacity-building forum. This gathering assembled 20 key actors and actresses from the country around a shared objective: improving the implementation of Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol.
This initiative comes at a critical time for Benin. Although the country ratified the Maputo Protocol without reservation in 2005 and adopted progressive laws, such as the 2021 amendment authorizing the voluntary termination of pregnancy under expanded conditions, a gap persists between legal advancements and their effective application on the ground.
Benin has positioned itself as a pioneering state in West Africa concerning sexual and reproductive rights. Article 7 of its Constitution guarantees equal access to reproductive healthcare, and Law No. 2021-12 of December 20, 2021, which amends the 2003 legislation, represents a significant step forward by broadening the grounds for accessing safe abortion.
“This training represented a decisive step in our commitment to ensure that the rights enshrined in the Maputo Protocol become a concrete reality for all Beninese women and girls,” explained Dossi AGUEH, Director General of RFLD. “We worked together to contribute to the transformation of our inclusive laws into tangible changes in the lives of women, particularly those in rural areas who often remain excluded from these advancements.”
However, despite this exemplary legal framework, challenges remain. In rural areas, access to reproductive health services is limited. Contraceptive stockouts, lack of qualified personnel, and social stigmatization constitute significant obstacles to the full enjoyment of these rights. Adolescents and single women continue to face judgment or are denied access to services, revealing the disparity between the letter of the law and its practical implementation.
Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol, the focus of this training, is remarkable in its scope. It guarantees women the right to control their fertility, decide on their motherhood, the number of children and spacing of births, freely choose their methods of contraception, and access family planning education. It also explicitly authorizes medically-safe abortion in specific cases, making the Maputo Protocol the first legally binding international instrument to recognize this right.
“Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol is far more than a legal provision—it is a tool for women’s empowerment,” emphasized Esther WAWERU, Legal Officer at Equality Now. “Our mission is to support African States in overcoming the obstacles—be they legal, cultural, or institutional—that prevent women from fully exercising these fundamental rights. Benin, with its inclusive framework, can serve as a model for other African countries.”
This comprehensive approach to reproductive rights explains why nine African countries—Burundi, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Madagascar, Morocco, Niger, Somalia, and Sudan—have yet to ratify the Protocol. Tensions between the text’s inclusive provisions and the traditional or religious norms of certain societies create resistance that requires respectful and participatory dialogue.
What made this training particularly significant was its deliberately inclusive approach. By bringing together government officials, healthcare professionals, legal practitioners, civil society leaders, and—notably—representatives of religious and traditional institutions, the event recognized that reproductive rights cannot progress without the buy-in of all social actors. This strategy proved particularly relevant in the Beninese context, where religious diversity deeply shapes attitudes towards reproductive health.
The inclusion of religious and traditional leaders was not symbolic. These leaders and stakeholders play a crucial role in guiding community behavior, and their engagement can significantly accelerate the social acceptance of reproductive rights. Rather than viewing them as obstacles, this approach positioned them as partners in building social consensus around these rights.
The participation of journalists demonstrated a clear understanding of the media’s role in social transformation. Reproductive rights are often poorly understood by the general public, fueling stigma and misinformation. Training journalists on these complex issues created a multiplier effect, enabling more accurate and informed communication on these sensitive topics. The ambitious goal was for these journalists to become conduits for amplifying the forum’s key messages and shaping a more enlightened public discourse. This media advocacy strategy can significantly influence policymakers and encourage greater prioritization of Article 14 implementation.
Despite legislative advances, several structural challenges still impede the full application of reproductive rights in Benin. The inadequacy of health infrastructure in rural areas limits physical access to services. The lack of medical personnel training on these specific issues can create de facto discrimination. Economic barriers exclude the most vulnerable individuals from accessing quality care. More subtly, cultural obstacles persist. The stigmatization of adolescents seeking contraceptive information, family pressures on women’s reproductive choices, or the persistence of harmful practices like FGM in some regions, all attest to the complexity of social change. This training aimed precisely at equipping participants to identify and overcome these multifaceted obstacles.
The Beninese initiative aligns with a broader continental context. With 46 of 55 African states having ratified the Maputo Protocol, Africa demonstrates a majority commitment to these principles. Benin, with its early ratification and inclusive legislative reforms, can serve as an example for developing effective implementation methods. The lessons learned from this forum can inspire other countries, contributing to the continental progress of women’s rights. The outcome of this forum extends far beyond the two days of training. The goal was to create a lasting dynamic, with participants becoming ambassadors of these rights in their respective spheres of influence. The action plans that emerged are intended to be concrete, contextualized, and measurable.
Beyond legal considerations, reproductive rights represent a fundamental development issue. Access to family planning and reproductive healthcare directly influences women’s economic empowerment, poverty reduction, and overall human development. The RFLD and Equality Now initiative in Benin perfectly illustrates how to transform the principles of the Maputo Protocol into concrete realities. By combining legal expertise, cultural sensitivity, and inclusive dialogue, it has opened a promising path for the advancement of reproductive rights in Africa.
