The Forum revealed both progress and persistent challenges in addressing GBV. Discussions highlighted systemic drivers such as patriarchy, harmful cultural norms, economic dependency, digital exclusion and weak implementation of existing policies. Participants underscored the need to shift from crisis response to prevention, to strengthen survivor-centred justice and to expand inclusive approaches that recognise the intersecting vulnerabilities of women, youth, LGBTQIA+ persons, people with disabilities and rural communities.

Five thematic pillars guided deliberations: access to justice, education systems, overcoming funding gaps, technology and digital tools, and men as partners in prevention. Central to all these was the call for structural transformation, collective accountability and long-term investment in community-driven solutions. As one participant reflected: 'Behind every statistic is a shattered life; [hence] prevention should be on all our agendas.'

Good practices showcased during the Forum – from mobile courts and community paralegals to youth led advocacy, survivor networks, faith-based partnerships and innovative digital tools – illustrated what is possible when responses are inclusive, well resourced and locally owned. Participants agreed that stronger regional collaboration, flexible funding models and political will are essential to scale such innovations and close persistent gaps.

This report consolidates the key challenges, promising practices, and strategic recommendations from the Forum. It serves as both a record of collective insight and a roadmap for governments, civil society, donors, and communities to strengthen
prevention and response to GBV in Southern Africa.

La Politique de justice transitionnelle de l'Union africaine (PJTUA) propose une approche globale de la Justice transitionnelle, visant à assurer la justice, la réconciliation, la cohésion sociale, la stabilité et l'édification de la nation. Ce document d'orientation fournit des orientations sur la mise en œuvre des 11 éléments indicatifs de la justice transitionnelle dans la PJTUA et aborde plusieurs questions transversales dans le pays.

The Gambia's newly established Reparations Commission presents a critical opportunity to fulfil these outstanding obligations. To achieve national and international commitments, the government must prioritise SGBV survivors through comprehensive, urgent, non-financial reparations that restore dignity and confront the structural inequalities that enabled the violations.

This policy paper calls for a survivor-centred, comprehensive approach to reparations that delivers urgent, non-financial reparations, including healthcare, psychosocial support and legal protection. Such measures affirm survivors' humanity, break down deep-rooted inequalities and set a precedent for transformative justice across Africa.

While several factors shaped the AU's renewed commitment to mobility, the 2015 European migrant crisis, during which more than 2 000 Africans drowned while crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa, stressed the urgency of developing continental solutions for safe and dignified movement. Equally, the 2017 revelations of slave markets in Libya increased the urgency for Africa to safeguard the dignity and rights of its people within the continent rather than through perilous external routes.

Nearly a decade later, free movement remains uneven and fragmented. The persistence of irregular migration, displacement crises and migrant rights violations reveals that Africa's challenge lies not in the absence of migration and protection policies, but in their multiplicity, inconsistency and limited implementation across AU institutions, Member States and Regional Economic Communities.

For policymakers, this fragmentation presents a serious governance dilemma. Despite progressive frameworks like the Free Movement Protocol (FMP), the Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) and the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP), migration governance and justice mechanisms operate in silos. This disconnect weakens continental efforts to ensure safe and dignified mobility, excludes people on the move from justice avenues, and undermines Africa's own vision of a prosperous and integrated continent.

This policy paper argues that bridging migration governance and transitional justice frameworks can strengthen accountability, enhance protection for people on the move, and advance the AU's goal for a borderless and inclusive continent.