A dangerous new document is raising alarm among African LGBTQIA+ activists, women’s rights organisations, health advocates, and human rights experts across the continent.
Called the Draft African Charter on Family, Sovereignty and Values, the document presents itself as a defence of “African family values”, national sovereignty, and cultural identity. But critics warn that behind this language is a sweeping attempt to roll back rights related to gender, sexuality, reproductive health, and freedom of expression across Africa.
If adopted by the African Union (AU) and ratified by member states, the charter could have serious implications for LGBTQIA+ people, women, young people, civil society organisations, and even national constitutions and courts.
Where Did the Charter Come From?
The draft charter emerged from a series of Inter-Parliamentary Conferences on Family, Sovereignty and Values held in Uganda between 2023 and 2025.
These gatherings brought together politicians, conservative religious activists, and anti-rights organisations, including groups linked to American and European evangelical and right-wing organisations. such as the hate group Family Watch International. According to reports, Christian Council International in the Netherlands has publicly claimed credit for drafting the charter.
The charter forms part of a decades-long campaign by conservative Western groups to influence African politics and laws around sexuality, gender, abortion, and LGBTQIA+ rights — often while framing these issues as resistance to “Western influence”.
What Does the Charter Say?
At the centre of the document is a narrow definition of family.
The charter defines “the family” as being based only on “marriage between a man and a woman”. It rejects the idea that gender identity exists beyond biological sex and describes transgender identities as part of “gender ideology”.
The document repeatedly attacks concepts like:
- LGBTQIA+ rights
- gender identity
- sexual orientation
- comprehensive sexuality education (CSE)
- abortion rights
- sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
It describes these as “foreign ideologies” threatening African society.
The charter also calls on African governments to:
- reject or withdraw from agreements supporting LGBTQIA+ rights or reproductive rights,
- redefine human rights according to “African values”,
- oppose international recommendations linked to gender identity or sexual orientation,
- limit sexuality education in schools,
- and create new AU structures to monitor compliance with the charter.
What Would This Mean for LGBTQIA+ People?
For LGBTQIA+ Africans, the implications could be severe.
The charter specifically calls on governments to reject protections related to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). It also encourages states to oppose international human rights mechanisms that support LGBTQIA+ equality.
If adopted, the charter could be used to:
- strengthen anti-LGBTQIA+ laws,
- justify censorship of LGBTQIA+ organisations and activism,
- encourage discrimination in healthcare, education, and employment,
- undermine legal recognition of transgender people,
- and make it harder to challenge hate speech, violence, or exclusion through courts or human rights institutions.
The document also frames LGBTQIA+ identities as foreign and harmful, despite the long history of queer Africans existing across the continent long before colonialism.
Critics warn that this kind of rhetoric fuels stigma and could contribute to increased violence and discrimination.
How Could Women Be Affected?
Women’s rights groups are also deeply concerned.
The charter strongly opposes abortion rights and seeks to restrict sexual and reproductive healthcare. It promotes abstinence-focused education and rejects many internationally recognised reproductive health frameworks.
Critics say this could:
- limit access to reproductive healthcare,
- weaken protections against gender-based violence,
- reduce access to contraception and sexual health information,
- reinforce patriarchal gender roles,
- and undermine women’s bodily autonomy.
The document repeatedly positions women primarily within traditional family structures and motherhood roles, rather than as autonomous individuals with full rights.
A Charter That Uses the Language of Rights
One reason rights groups say the charter is dangerous is because it uses the language of human rights while redefining those rights in restrictive ways.
In its analysis of the document, the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA) warned:
“The central finding of this analysis is that the draft Charter retains the language of rights, equality, and legal principle throughout its text, but systematically empties that language of its protective content.”
It warns that, “The language of sovereignty is deployed not in defence of political self-determination but to justify near absolute state control over health, education, sexuality, and moral life…”
ISLA also noted that the charter promotes “a family-centred and sovereignty-driven model” that excludes protections related to gender identity and sexual orientation.
Why Some People Could Support It
The charter is not entirely negative in tone, which is part of what makes it politically appealing to some audiences.
It also includes language about:
- protecting African resources,
- promoting economic development,
- fostering peace and cooperation,
- strengthening families,
- and advancing Ubuntu and shared humanity.
Supporters argue that it protects African sovereignty against foreign political pressure.
However, critics say these positive elements are being used to make a deeply discriminatory document more acceptable.
What Happens Next?
The charter has not been adopted by the African Union, but it is rapidly becoming central to well-funded and well-planned efforts to roll back rights across the continent.
Human rights organisations across Africa are mobilising against it, warning that it could undermine decades of progress on equality, dignity, public health, and constitutional rights.
For LGBTQIA+ Africans and women’s rights advocates, the stakes are high. If adopted, the charter could reshape laws, education systems, healthcare policies, and human rights protections across the continent for years to come.
One Comment
What frustrates me most is watching African leadership spend so much time debating people’s bodies, identities, sexuality, and women’s autonomy while millions struggle with poverty, corruption, unemployment, violence, poor healthcare, and collapsing education systems.
Africa desperately needs conversations about unity, economic growth, innovation, education, and protecting human dignity for everyone. A continent cannot truly move forward while certain groups are constantly turned into political targets instead of citizens deserving of rights, safety, and respect.