Saly, Senegal – 22–26 September 2025 More than 50 legal experts, government officials, civil society representatives and technical partners from SWEDD/SWEDD+ project countries (Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Mauritania, Senegal, Chad and Togo) gathered in Saly for a regional workshop on legal reforms for the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV).

Jointly organised by UNFPA, the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) and the World Bank, as part of the SWEDD+ project, the workshop aimed to strengthen regional capacities to harmonise national legal frameworks with ECOWAS policies and share best practices for building robust, coherent and survivor-centred systems.

This orientation and capacity-building workshop enabled participants to acquire the tools they need to disseminate these legal and practical approaches in their respective countries.

A context of urgency

According to Dr Sennen Hounton, UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa, "despite significant progress, the urgency remains intact. In our region, 37% of young women and girls are married before they reach adulthood, and 12% before the age of 15. Furthermore, 17 of the 27 African countries where female genital mutilation persists are located here. These dramatic figures underscore the urgency of strengthening our legal frameworks, mobilising our partners and maintaining a firm and unwavering commitment to combating all forms of gender-based violence."

He also warned of a worrying trend: ‘the backlash against women's rights’. According to him, ‘in several countries, we are seeing attempts to challenge protective laws and growing resistance to progressive reforms. This setback, driven by conservative forces, is a direct threat to hard-won gains.’

Reaffirming the collective commitment

‘Nearly one in three women worldwide has experienced physical and/or sexual violence, and one in five was married before the age of 18,’ said Eleonora Cavagnero, TTL of the SWEDD+ project at the World Bank. ‘In West and Central Africa, child marriage reaches 41% and more than 144 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation. These figures remind us of the urgent need for action. This is not just a crisis of rights, it is a real crisis of human capital.’

For Eleonora Cavagnero, ‘reforms succeed when they involve religious and traditional communities, legal and institutional reforms, and the engagement of men and boys, combined with the creation of safe spaces for girls.’

A survivor-centred approach

The workshop discussions covered a wide range of topics, from the definition of femicide to combating online violence and the legal protection of survivors in contexts of crisis and displacement.

‘Laws, however important they may be, are not enough. Their enforcement will depend on the training of magistrates and law enforcement officials, the mobilisation of communities and the transformation of social norms,’ Dr Hounton emphasised. ‘That is why it is essential that young people, women and civil society are fully involved in this process.’

This training workshop is part of a shared vision: to align legal, political and programmatic efforts in order to accelerate gender equality and build a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable future for women and girls in the region.

And for Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, ECOWAS, "The holding of this workshop once again demonstrates ECOWAS' firm commitment to promoting a society where security, equality and well-being are guaranteed for all citizens. By strengthening your skills, we will gradually create a critical mass of legal, judicial, health and social personnel who are well equipped to end impunity, ignorance and inaction in order to eliminate gender-based violence."