Existing legal standards and practices regarding violence against women in three regional human rights systems and activities being undertaken by civil society regarding the normative gap in international human rights law 2015, para. 12
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Concrete efforts to lobby for a specific instrument on women's rights began in 1995, largely led by non-governmental organizations working in the field of women's rights. The first Special Rapporteur on Rights of Women in Africa was appointed in 1999; she supported the efforts of non-governmental organizations to develop a protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the rights of women. A minimalist approach was adopted by member States in addressing the inadequacies of the Charter. The agreement was to adopt a protocol, as opposed to a separate treaty with its own monitoring body. During the negotiations, certain draft provisions were contentious, for example, those on polygamy, harmful traditional practices, sexual orientation as a prohibited ground for discrimination, and women's right to control their fertility. The draft protocol was finalized by a team of government experts and adopted by the Assembly of the African Union in July 2003. It entered into force in 2005.
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Non-negotiated soft law
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Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences