From Recognition to Real Change: Advancing Equality for CDWD in Africa

Halimatou Ceesey, Senior Rights Expert at the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD), delivered a powerful address at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in Banjul. She welcomed the adoption of Resolution 619, a landmark recognition of caste-based discrimination across Africa, but emphasized that acknowledgment must be matched with concrete, inclusive action.

Ceesey called on the Commission to help governments reform laws, adopt affirmative measures, and ensure that CDWD voices are represented in truth-telling and justice processes.
She urged that reparations be not only symbolic but transformative, restoring land, access to livelihoods, and equal opportunities in education, health, and governance.

Ceesey's message was clear: “Africa's human rights commitments will only be fulfilled when CDWD communities are no longer invisible but fully included in shaping the continent's future.”

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