Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa
The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, is an internationally recognised university-based institution combining academic excellence and effective activism to advance human rights, particularly in Africa. It aims to contribute to advancing human rights, through education, research and advocacy.
The Centre for Human Rights, in partnership with the UNHCR Regional Office for Southern Africa, cordially invites you to the webinar on ‘Protecting persons displaced in the context of climate change and disasters in Africa’.
The Centre seeks a qualified person who can combine the roles of a post-doctoral fellow and act as manager of the Centre’s flagship Master’s programme #HRDA
Conveners of the Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition are calling for papers on Human Trafficking, Social Media and AI Regulation and Climate Justice
Centre for Human Rights condemns disbarring of lawyer Muzi Simelane by Eswatini Chief Justice
26 June 2022
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, condemns the disbarring of lawyer Muzi Simelane by Eswatini Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala.
Centre for Human Rights Calls on African states to speed up ratification of the African Disability Protocol
8 March 2022
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, welcomes the recently improved pace of ratification of the 2018 Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa (African Disability Protocol).
Centre calls for a robust response from the Government of South Africa to prevent xenophobic violence
2 February 2022
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, is concerned about the growing anti-immigrant sentiments and attacks fuelled by the recent xenophobic statements of political parties.
Centre condemns arbitrary detention and deportation of Corlett Letlojane by Cameroon authorities
22 December 2021
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, is concerned and condemns the arbitrary detention and deportation of Corlett Letlojane by Cameroon authorities on 16 December
Nelson Mandela World Moot Competition, 20 May to 21 July 2022
17 December 2021
In the past years the University of Pretoria in South Africa has not participated in the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition in light of the fact that the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) is located at the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria.
Centre for Human Rights condemns disbarring of lawyer Muzi Simelane by Eswatini Chief JusticePress Statement (26 June 2022)
Centre for Human Rights Calls on African states to speed up ratification of the African Disability ProtocolPress Statement (8 March 2022)
Centre calls for a robust response from the Government of South Africa to prevent xenophobic violencePress Statement (2 February 2022)
Centre condemns arbitrary detention and deportation of Corlett Letlojane by Cameroon authoritiesPress Statement (22 December 2022)
In depth study and action to prevent death at initiationPress Statement (20 December 2022)
Nelson Mandela World Moot Competition, 20 May to 21 July 2022Press Statement (17 December 2022)
Academic Programmes
Academic programmes presented by the Centre for Human Rights:
HRDA
LLM/MPhil in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa
The LLM/MPhil in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa is a prestigious one-year intensive course where 25-30 exceptional individuals spend 6 months in Pretoria and 6 months at one of the 13 partner universities all over Africa.
LLM (International Trade and Investment Law in Africa)
The LLM degree in International Trade and Investment Law in Africa is a higher education and training programme based in, and focused on, Africa with full exposure to the international world of trade and investment.
LLM/MPhil (Sexual & Reproductive Rights in Africa)
The Master's degree (LLM/MPhil) in Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Africa is a two-year programme that is offered as a blended learning course comprising of online interaction and residential block-weeks in Pretoria.
The LLM/MPhil degree in Multidisciplinary Human Rights gives students from various disciplines the opportunity to engage with human rights issues from a number of perspectives. This programme is for lawyers and non-lawyers.
The two-year programme is offered as a hybrid teaching approach comprising online interaction and residential face-to-face weeks in Pretoria. Two face-to-face sessions will be scheduled every year. The first face-to-face session is in December 2018.
The Centre presents annually a number of short courses, two moot court competitions and a conference:
AHRC
Advanced Human Rights Courses
The Advanced Human Rights Courses (AHRC) programme consists of annual advanced short courses dealing with issues pertinent to human rights, development and good governance in Africa.
The annual African Human Rights Moot Court Competition is the largest gathering of students, academics and judges around the theme of human rights in Africa.
The Disability Rights Unit at Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, hosts an annual conference on disability rights in an African context during the first week of November.
The Centre for Human Rights hosts a number of Research Units whose main objectives are to do research in their prospective fields.
Most Units have a short course, a clinical group and a resource database linked to the Unit. Focus areas include freedom of expression and access to information, business and human rights, children's rights, disability rights, women's rights, litigation, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics and Freedom from Violence.
The International Development Law Unit (IDLU) presents the LLM (International Trade and Investment Law in Africa) and its mission is to conduct and promote policy-oriented legal research on international development law topics.
Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa
The Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA) aims to become a first port of call for those who wish to engage in legal research and legal reform in Africa involving comparative or international law at the advanced level.
In 2006, the Centre for Human Rights was awarded the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education, with particular recognition for the African Human Rights Moot Court Competition and the LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa
2006
UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
African Union Human Rights Prize
In 2012, the Centre for Human Rights was awarded the 2012 African Union Human Rights Prize, in recognition of the Centre's contribution to the work of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa.
2012
African Union Human Rights Prize
The Centre is an academic department and NGO at the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria