The Africa Family Law Network
A platform of diverse actors drawn from national and regional level, legal and justice fraternity, human rights defenders, community organisers, cultural and faith actors
The Africa Family Law Network is a regional strategic network working on family law in the region. It is a platform of diverse actors drawn from national and regional level, legal and justice fraternity, human rights defenders, community organisers, cultural and faith actors with a common goal to reform family laws in Africa in line with regional and international human rights Principles and Standards.
AFLN was launched on October 5, 2022, when more than 60 feminist legal advocates from 23 African countries met in Nairobi for a landmark three-day conference. Conceptualised from the urgent need to address outdated and discriminatory family laws, AFLN connects and amplifies regional and national efforts to advance justice and equality for women and girls.
Led by founding partners Equality Now, the African Women’s Development and Communication Network ( FEMNET), Musawah and the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network), AFLN is evolving into a vibrant regional platform. The founding partners contribute their unique expertise in feminist movement building, strategic research and litigation, national and regional advocacy, and knowledge building.
Why Family Law?
In a majority of African countries, statutory laws coexist with customary or traditional laws and religious laws. Instead of complementing each other, these systems often clash, creating contradictions and inconsistencies in how justice is applied. Our solution is a multisectoral approach is imperative in realising the protection of women and girls through family law reform. Our expertise in generating, curating, and tracking information on the status and progress of family law reform to facilitate the development of knowledge products for use by practitioners in this space.
An Africa where family laws and practices guarantee equality for women and girls in line with regional and international human rights standards.
All women and girls in Africa enjoy equality, dignity and justice under family laws and practices in line with their governments’ obligations under regional and international human rights standards.
- Build and sustain an inclusive movement for collective action towards family law reform in Africa.
- Define family law reform as a priority issue at regional and national levels, through visibalising the impacts of discriminatory family laws on women and girls.
- Serve as a credible source of collective expertise on family laws, practices and related reform in Africa.
- Support and collaborate with national level groups & activists to advocate for family law reform; and amplifying their efforts at a regional level.
Join Us
- Be part of our community! Our membership is now open to national and regional organisations working on family law. Read about membership benefits (link – criteria for membership).
- Fill in the application form
To know more about our work, please explore the resources below
- AFLN Brochure
- A Briefing Paper on Family Law
- Article on the launch of the Africa Family Law Network
- ACPHR Feature: Accelerating Family Law Reform in Africa: A Pathway to Inclusive Education
- Research: Comparative Review of Muslim Family Laws in the Greater Horn of Africa Region
- Podcast: Confronting Violence Against Women and Advancing their Rights in Marriage
- Feature by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on their engagements with the AFLN
- Feature in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ The Power of Partnerships Publication