The adoption of the African Union Convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls has been hailed as a major milestone in Africa’s journey toward gender equality.

But for advocacy group Alliance Rights and Health, celebration must be matched with swift and serious action.

In a statement released this week, the organization commended the AU for the groundbreaking convention but warned that without strong political will, harmonized legal systems, and adequate funding, the promise of the convention would remain just on paper and women and girls across the continent would continue to suffer in silence.

Alliance Rights and Health is of the view that for this historic step, to make an impact with tangible progress in the fight against gender-based violence, it must be backed by commitment at every level.

Alliance Rights and Health is therefore calling on the six AU member states directly involved in the convention to waste no time in developing and implementing national action plans.

These plans, the organization insists, must be comprehensive, properly budgeted, and inclusive, bringing together governments, civil society, feminist movements, private sector actors, and development partners.

The organization outlined three urgent actions: First, it wants national laws to be aligned with international standards, and all forms of gender-based violence to be criminalized. Survivors, it emphasized, must have simplified and supported access to justice.

Second, it is urging governments to allocate long-term funding and encourage private sector contributions through Corporate Social Responsibility programs.

Third, it called for improved coordination among stakeholders, digitized data systems, and training for frontline workers who interact with survivors of violence.

According to Alliance Rights and Health, too many survivors are still navigating systems that are fragmented, under-resourced, or simply unavailable.

They argue that change is only possible when governments go beyond commitments and deliver real services: protection, justice, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

Across the continent, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Behind every statistic is a woman or girl whose future depends on whether this new convention translates into real change.

The time for promises is over. The time for action is now. The time for ratification is now.