Axiom Rights — London, UK

Dr.
Adetokunbo
Johnson

Advancing Women's human rights: Closing gaps.

Senior Human Rights Specialist in Women, Disability & Intersectionality — driving systemic change through scholarship, policy engagement, and practitioner training.

32
African States
10+
Years' Experience
15+
Publications
Scroll
32
African States — Maputo Protocol Workshops
10+
Years advancing women's rights in policy & law
15+
Peer-reviewed publications and book chapters

What We Do

Human rights expertise you can build policy on.

Axiom Rights is the professional home of Dr. Adetokunbo Johnson — one of the UK's leading specialists at the intersection of gender, disability, and international human rights law.

With deep expertise in the Maputo Protocol, treaty body engagement, and African regional human rights mechanisms, Axiom Rights supports institutions, governments, and civil society organisations to translate rights frameworks into practice.

01The Maputo Protocol & African Women's Rights
02Disability, Intersectionality & Gender
03Shadow Reporting & Treaty Body Engagement
04Policy Design & Institutional Training

About

Dr. Adetokunbo Johnson

Dr. Adetokunbo (Tokunbo) Johnson is a Senior Human Rights Specialist with over a decade of sustained engagement in the fields of women's rights, disability, and intersectionality under international and African regional human rights law. Based in Greater London, she is the founder of Axiom Rights — a consultancy and thought leadership platform dedicated to advancing women's human rights and closing systemic gaps.

Her doctoral research at the University of Pretoria examined the lived realities of disabled women in Nigeria, interrogating the dominant legal and cultural narratives that render their experiences invisible. This work has anchored an internationally recognised body of scholarship across Palgrave Macmillan, Springer, Routledge, and major peer-reviewed journals.

As Project Officer and Coordinator at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, Dr. Johnson led state reporting workshops across 32 African states focused on the Maputo Protocol. Her practitioner experience spans UNICEF and UNFPA-commissioned disability research, a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of the Free State, and module leadership in African Politics at Newcastle University.

She serves as a Board Member of ADD International, is a Fellow of Advance HE UK, and was awarded the prestigious Margaret McNamara Education Grant in 2018.

In 2025, Dr. Johnson began the Graduate Diploma in Law, further anchoring her work at the intersection of legal practice and human rights advocacy.

Dr. Adetokunbo Johnson

Education

2025
Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) — In Progress
College of Legal Practice
2016–2019
PhD — International Human Rights Law
University of Pretoria, South Africa
The Voiceless Woman: Countering Dominant Narratives Concerning Disabled Women in Nigeria
2014–2015
MPhil — Multidisciplinary Human Rights
University of Pretoria, South Africa
2006–2007
MA — Human Rights (Passed with Merit)
University of Kent, United Kingdom

Career

2022–present
Board Member
ADD International
2022–2025
Lecturer & Module Leader
Newcastle University
Politics of Africa — Africa's Place in Global Politics. Peak enrolment: 136 students.
2022
Postdoctoral Fellow
University of the Free State, South Africa
2021–2022
Senior Disability Researcher
Includovate — reports for UNICEF and UNFPA
2014–2020
Project Officer / Coordinator
Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Led state reporting workshops on the Maputo Protocol across 32 African states.

Fellowships & Honours

Fellow, Advance Higher Education UK
Awarded 2020. National fellowship recognising outstanding contributions to higher education practice.
Margaret McNamara Education Grant
Awarded 2018. Presented to exceptional women from developing countries demonstrating outstanding leadership.
Board Member, ADD International
2022–present. Governance and strategic leadership of a leading disability and development organisation.

Expertise

What We Do

Axiom Rights offers specialist knowledge at the frontier of international women's rights law, African regional mechanisms, and disability-inclusive human rights practice.

01
The Maputo Protocol & African Women's Rights

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa is the cornerstone of women's rights on the continent. Dr. Johnson has dedicated over a decade to its interpretation, implementation, and state reporting processes, leading workshops across 32 African states and contributing authoritative commentary to Article 17.

02
Disability, Intersectionality & Gender

Women with disabilities occupy one of the most legally and socially marginalised positions within existing rights frameworks. Axiom Rights brings an intersectional feminist lens to questions of criminal accountability, reproductive rights, sexual violence, and FGM — grounded in empirical research and lived realities, particularly across African legal contexts.

03
Shadow Reporting & Treaty Body Engagement

Effective treaty body engagement requires both legal precision and strategic advocacy. Axiom Rights supports civil society organisations and state actors to develop shadow reports, engage UN and African Commission mechanisms, and translate monitoring committee recommendations into implementable national action.

04
Policy Design & Institutional Training

From bespoke training programmes for NGO staff and policy officers to consultancy engagements with governments and foundations, Axiom Rights helps institutions embed gender-responsive, disability-inclusive human rights standards into their practice, programmes, and policy frameworks.

Structured learning programmes are available via the Axiom Rights platform

Explore Our Courses & Programmes

Publications

Scholarship & Writing

Books
COVID-19 and Women's Intersectionalities in Africa
Editor — Pretoria University Law Press
2023
Book Chapters
The disabled genitalia: Countering dominant narratives to ending female genital mutilation in Africa
Pretoria University Law Press
2025
Article 17 Commentary: Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa
Pretoria University Law Press
2023
Sexual harassment of women with disabilities in Africa
Springer
2023
Exploring intersectional and ethical feminist perspectives on forced sterilisation
Routledge
2023
The Invisible Woman: Limits to Achieving Criminal Accountability for Violence against Women with Disabilities in Africa
Palgrave Macmillan
2022
Journal Articles
Construing Disability into Article 14(2)(C) of the Maputo Protocol
Politics and Gender
2024
Beyond the Universalist and Cultural Relativist Debate: Using the African Women's Protocol to Realise Gender Equality in Africa
African Journal of Legal Studies
2023
Barriers to fulfilling reporting obligations on the Maputo Protocol in Africa
African Human Rights Law Journal
2021
The voiceless woman: Protecting the intersectional identity under Section 42 of Nigeria's Constitution
African Disability Rights Yearbook
2021
Hush woman! The complex disabled woman in Nigeria's legal and human rights framework
African Disability Rights Yearbook
2020

Speaking & Consulting

Engage the Expert

Dr. Johnson brings rare depth to platforms that demand both scholarly authority and practical clarity — from high-level policy forums to multi-day institutional training engagements.

Axiom Rights works with a select range of clients on an enquiry basis. Engagements are tailored to the specific context, audience, and objectives of each institution.

Keynote addresses and plenary panels at international conferences and policy forums
Bespoke training programmes for NGO staff, DPO advocates, and policy officers
Institutional consultancy on gender-responsive and disability-inclusive programme design
Expert advisory support on state reporting and treaty body submissions
Academic and policy research collaborations
Media commentary on women's rights and African human rights mechanisms

Who We Work With

Institutions committed to advancing substantive equality and rights-based practice.

International NGOs & Human Rights Organisations
UN Agencies & Treaty Bodies
Disability Persons' Organisations (DPOs)
African Government Ministries & State Bodies
UK & European Institutions
Foundations & Philanthropic Funders
Universities & Research Institutions
Media Organisations

Contact

Get in Touch

For speaking engagements, institutional training, consultancy, or media enquiries, please reach out using the form or contact Dr. Johnson directly.

Location
London, United Kingdom
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