SENEGAL LEADS WAY ON WOMEN LEGISLATORS

Senegal has broken new ground as West Africa's largest-ever proportion of women Members of Parliament (MPs) take their seats in a newly elected legislature. This stirs hope of change in a country where patriarchal laws and attitudes are entrenched. More than 44% of seats in Senegal's next National Assembly will be held by women, the biggest share of any country in the region. But hopes for dramatic progress on issues ranging from reproductive rights to domestic violence also have to be balanced with political reality.