By Michael Gwarisa
Zimbabwe will, for the first time, host the Fourth Annual Reproductive Justice Litigation Baraza, marking the first occasion the continental conference has been held outside Uganda since its inception four years ago.
Running from August 3 to 7, 2026 in Harare under the theme “Age as a Determinant of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights,” the Baraza will bring together judges, lawyers, academics, policymakers, healthcare professionals, civil society organisations and young people from across Africa to examine how legal systems can better protect sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The conference is being co-hosted by the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) and the Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA).
Speaking to HealthTimes, CWGH Executive Director and Baraza convener, Itai Josh Rusike, described the gathering as more than a conference, saying it is designed to advance practical legal solutions that improve access to reproductive justice across the continent.
“What makes it unique is that it focuses on strategic litigation as a tool for advancing reproductive justice. It is not just about discussing challenges. It is about identifying practical legal and policy solutions that can improve people’s lives,” said Rusike.
He added that each edition builds on the previous one, creating a growing body of African legal knowledge capable of influencing policy and judicial reforms across the continent.
Delegates are expected from Southern, Eastern, Western and Central Africa, with additional participation anticipated from Latin America. The conference will attract judges, legal practitioners, academics, healthcare professionals, human rights advocates, development partners, policymakers and youth representatives.
According to Rusike, the strong continental interest reflects the shared reproductive health challenges facing many African countries.
“Many African countries are grappling with similar questions around access to healthcare, bodily autonomy, constitutional rights and legal reform. Bringing people together allows us to learn from each other’s successes and challenges and strengthen African-led approaches to these issues,” he said.
This year’s theme places age at the centre of discussions, recognising that it often determines whether people can access healthcare, information, justice and make decisions about their own bodies.
Rusike said adolescents frequently face barriers such as parental consent requirements when seeking contraception, HIV services and other reproductive healthcare, while older people are often excluded because society assumes sexual and reproductive health no longer concerns them.
“The conference therefore takes a life-course approach. We want to examine how age creates barriers at different stages of life and explore the legal and policy reforms needed to ensure that everyone can enjoy their rights regardless of their age,” he said.
The Baraza aims to develop practical legal strategies to address age-related barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights, while strengthening litigation approaches, policy recommendations and partnerships among legal practitioners, researchers, courts and civil society organisations.
Participants will take part in keynote presentations, judicial dialogues, panel discussions, research presentations and practitioner roundtables. One of the highlights will be a youth-led pre-conference moot court where law students and young people will debate real reproductive justice cases through simulated court proceedings. Documentary screenings, storytelling sessions and South-to-South learning exchanges will also form part of the programme.
Rusike noted that although strategic litigation has helped secure important legal victories across Africa, including expanded access to reproductive healthcare and stronger constitutional protections, growing resistance from anti-rights movements continues to threaten these gains.
He said debates around age of consent, parental consent, access to contraception, comprehensive sexuality education and safe abortion require evidence-based policymaking and careful legal analysis, adding that strategic litigation remains essential in protecting constitutional rights and holding governments accountable.
Hosting this year’s Baraza, he said, presents Zimbabwe with an opportunity to showcase its constitutional and legal developments while learning from experiences across the continent.
“Hosting the Baraza provides an opportunity for Zimbabwe to engage with experts from across Africa, showcase its own legal developments and contribute to regional conversations on reproductive justice,” Rusike said.
Young people will play a central role throughout the conference, participating in the moot court, panel discussions and policy conversations. However, organisers emphasise that the theme extends beyond youth, recognising that age-related barriers affect people throughout their lives and that reproductive justice should be inclusive of every generation.
Rusike called on governments, courts, healthcare providers and civil society to work together to strengthen laws and policies that uphold dignity, equality and access to justice.
