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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.

Latest news

Invitation
Invitation
Roundtable Dialogue on Litigation of the Right to Development in Domestic Courts in Africa
Invitation
Invitation
The organisers of the Moot Court Competitions invite mooters from across the world to join an online workshop for memorial writing
Christof Heyns Human Rights Scholarship
Christof Heyns Human Rights Scholarship
Brian Kibirango awarded 2023 Christof Heyns Human Rights Scholarship
International Women's Day 2023
International Women's Day 2023
Technological revolution: Implications for gender equality and women’s rights 20 years after the Maputo Protocol
Promoting knowledge on LGBTIQ+ rights and highlight challenges in Africa
Promoting knowledge on LGBTIQ+ rights and highlight challenges in Africa
Press Statement
Press Statement
Centre for Human Rights commends Kenya on the Supreme Court decision recognising the right of the LGBTIQ+ community to register organisations
Vacancy
Vacancy
In pursuit of the ideals of excellence and diversity, the University of Pretoria wishes to invite applications for the Senior Lecturer vacancy.
Call for Applications
Call for Applications
In pursuit of the ideals of excellence and diversity, the University of Pretoria wishes to invite applications for the Associate Professor/Professor vacancy.

Academic Programmes

Academic programmes presented by the Centre for Human Rights:
LLM/MPhil in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa

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.

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LLM (International Trade and Investment Law in Africa)

TILA

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.

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LLM/MPhil (Sexual & Reproductive Rights in Africa)

SRRA

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.

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LLM/MPhil (Multidisciplinary Human Rights) (MHR)

MDHR

LLM/MPhil (Multidisciplinary Human Rights) (MHR)
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.

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LLM/MPhil (Disability Rights in Africa) (DRIA)

DRIA

LLM/MPhil (Disability Rights in Africa) (DRIA)
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.

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Research Units

Overview of our Units

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.

Overview of our Units

Education Projects

The Centre presents annually a number of short courses, two moot court competitions and a conference:
Advanced Human Rights Courses

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.

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African Human Rights Moot Court Competition

AHRMCC

African Human Rights Moot Court Competition
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.

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Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition

NMWMCC

Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition
The Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is an annual event and is open to both undergraduate and master's degree law students.

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Annual Conference

Annual Conference

Annual Conference
The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, hosts several conferences throughout the year that focus on African human rights matters

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Associated Institutes / Units

International Development Law Unit

IDLU

International Development Law Unit
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.

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Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa

ICLA

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.

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African Human Rights Law Journal

AHRLJ

African Human Rights Law Journal

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 African Disability Rights Yearbook

ADRY

African Disability Rights Yearbook

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Latest Press Statements

Centre for Human Rights and SANN call for the adoption and ratification of the Draft Protocol on Statelessness in Africa
6 December 2022
The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, and the Southern African Nationality Network (SANN) call on African states, including members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
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Press Statement (6 December 2022)
CHR conducts an Advanced Human Rights Course on the Protection of Forcibly Displaced Persons in Africa
5 December 2022
From 21 to 25 November 2022, the Centre for Human Rights organised a 5-day intensive course on the protection of forcibly displaced persons in Africa.
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Press Statement (5 December 2022)
Centre calls on the Cameroon government to protect its citizens against enforced disappearance
30 August 2022
On the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared, which comes up on 30 August every year, the #ReleaseThem Campaign, The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, Stand Up For Cameroon and other partners organize a series of outreach and advocacy activities aimed at engaging the Cameroonian and international community on the continued need to press for the State of Cameroon to take a lead in ending this practice.
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Press Statement (30 August 2022)
Assessing State compliance with the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa
01 July 2022
The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria is pleased to announce the continued expansion of the project on assessing State compliance with the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa (the Guidelines).
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Press Statement (01 July 2022)
  • Centre for Human Rights and SANN call for the adoption and ratification of the Draft Protocol on Statelessness in Africa Press Statement (6 December 2022)
  • CHR conducts an Advanced Human Rights Course on the Protection of Forcibly Displaced Persons in Africa Press Statement (5 December 2022)
  • Centre calls on the Cameroon government to protect its citizens against enforced disappearance Press Statement (30 August 2022)
  • Assessing State compliance with the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa Press Statement (01 July 2022)

Awards & Prizes

UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
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
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
2012
African Union Human Rights Prize