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Instruments of the AU
2.
Every woman shall have the right to respect as a person and to the free
development of her personality.
3.
States parties shall adopt and implement appropriate measures to
prohibit any exploitation or degradation of women.
4.
States parties shall adopt and implement appropriate measures to
ensure the protection of every woman’s right to respect for her dignity and
protection of women from all forms of violence, particularly sexual and verbal
violence.
Article 4: The rights to life, integrity and security of the person
1.
Every woman shall be entitled to respect for her life and the integrity
and security of her person. All forms of exploitation, cruel, inhuman or
degrading punishment and treatment shall be prohibited.
2.
States parties shall take appropriate and effective measures to:
(a) enact and enforce laws to prohibit all forms of violence against women
including unwanted or forced sex whether the violence takes place in private
or public;
(b) adopt such other legislative, administrative, social and economic
measures as may be necessary to ensure the prevention, punishment and
eradication of all forms of violence against women;
(c) identify the causes and consequences of violence against women and
take appropriate measures to prevent and eliminate such violence;
(d) actively promote peace education through curricula and social
communication in order to eradicate elements in traditional and cultural
beliefs, practices and stereotypes which legitimise and exacerbate the
persistence and tolerance of violence against women;
(e) punish the perpetrators of violence against women and implement
programmes for the rehabilitation of women victims;
(f) establish mechanisms and accessible services for effective information,
rehabilitation and reparation for victims of violence against women;
(g) prevent and condemn trafficking in women, prosecute the perpetrators
of such trafficking and protect those women most at risk;
(h) prohibit all medical or scientific experiments on women without their
informed consent;
(i) provide adequate budgetary and other resources for the
implementation and monitoring of actions aimed at preventing and
eradicating violence against women;
(j) ensure that, in those countries where the death penalty still exists, not
to carry out death sentences on pregnant or nursing women;
(k) ensure that women and men enjoy equal rights in terms of access to
refugee status determination procedures and that women refugees are
accorded the full protection and benefits guaranteed under international
refugee law, including their own identity and other documents.
Article 5: Elimination of harmful practices
States parties shall prohibit and condemn all forms of harmful practices which
negatively affect the human rights of women and which are contrary to
recognised international standards. States parties shall take all necessary
legislative and other measures to eliminate such practices, including:
(a) creation of public awareness in all sectors of society regarding harmful
practices through information, formal and informal education and outreach
programmes;
(b) prohibition, through legislative measures backed by sanctions, of all
forms of female genital mutilation, scarification, medicalisation and paramedicalisation of female genital mutilation and all other practices in order to
eradicate them;