Inventory of Legislation on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SADC SGBV)

The SADC Secretariat with financial support from the European Union mandated AFIDEP to;

1. develop a regional inventory on sexual and gender-based violence legislation
2. conduct a rapid assessment of laws and policies on SGBV the SADC region and make recommendations for the identified gaps.

The purpose is to strengthen the capacity of SADC Member States to address the prevalence of SGBV and key service providers to effectively respond to gender-based violence.

• Reviewing SGBV legislation in 16 SADC countries.
• Highlighting best practices and gaps in SADC SGBV legislation.
• Making recommendations on strengthening SGBV laws in SADC region.

An inventory of the laws and policies of all SADC countries and an assessment of the laws of each country including the identification of gaps within the legislation and recommendations for each country. 

The inventory developed and the assessment of laws and policies will provide SADC member states with comprehensive detail on the status of their laws, guide member states in identifying gaps within their legislation as well as identifying areas of service provision that need improvement in order to cater for the needs of survivors of SGBV. The assignment has also broadened the scope and coverage of AFIDEP’s work in Africa.

SADC Secretariat and European Union