Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current restrictions, all courses will be conducted in a virtual format. Participants are therefore required to have access to a stable internet connection. The Centre for Human Rights will however review the situation from time to time and will advise applicants on the resumption of contact sessions.
Applications are fully online and prospective applicants need a Gmail account to be able to apply.
Course dates: 2021
Sexual Minority Rights in Africa
22 – 26 February 2021
The Advanced Human Rights Course on Sexual Minority Rights in Africa introduces participants to basic SOGIESC concepts and a thematic and geographical exposition of challenges faced by LGBTI persons in Africa. This course is designed for people who wish to obtain basic/introductory information, an understanding of the terminology and a general appreciation of the problems faced by LGBTI persons in realising basic human rights in many societies.
Disability Rights in an African Context
8 – 12 March 2021
The Advanced Human Rights Course on Disability Rights in an African Context is part of the Centre’s efforts in promoting disability rights in Africa by raising awareness about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) (2006) and the newly adopted Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa (2018).
African Human Rights System in Comparative Perspectives
15 – 19 March 2021
The course covers issues such as a general introduction to human rights law and the role players in the development and enforcement of human rights norms in Africa,
the United Nations system, human rights treaties and their status in Africa,
European human rights systems, Inter-American human rights systems,
the African Union and human rights,
the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights as well as the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights.
Judicial Enforcement of Socio-Economic Rights in Africa
17 – 21 May 2021
The aim of the course on the judicial enforcement of socio-economic rights in Africa is to provide participants with a critical understanding of the possibilities of and problems associated with judicial enforcement of socio-economic rights in Africa. During the one-week intensive course, training is provided to practitioners, policy-makers, scholars and students on national and international litigation of socio-economic rights.
Policing Lockdown: Accountability and oversight of the criminal justice system in the time of COVID-19
24 – 28 May 2021
This is a one-week course examining key issues exposed in criminal justice systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the increasing securitisation of public health enforcement, the dangers of over-reach by the criminal justice architecture, and the pressures on oversight mechanisms.
Civil Society in Law
7 - 11 June 2021
Through the Legal Education Initiative, ICNL partners with selected African educational institutions to promote the study of laws affecting civil society.
Children’s Rights in Africa
26 – 30 July 2021
The course is an initiative intended to build the technical capacity of diverse professionals working for and with children across the African continent. During the course, participants are equipped with the necessary knowledge and practical skills that will enable them to meaningfully contribute to the realization of children’s rights in Africa.
Police Oversight and Vulnerable Groups
6 – 10 September 2021
The Centre for Human Rights, in partnership with the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF) and the African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (AMSHeR), are presenting a short course on Police Oversight and Vulnerable Groups in Africa. The aim of the course is to profile police accountability and oversight as a human rights and governance concern, and assist in building a community of practitioners on the continent who can become active advocates for increased accountability of the police, and who are skilled to identify and act in terms of overseeing the actions of the police.
Advanced Human Rights Courses 2021
- Sexual Minority Rights in Africa
22 – 26 February 2021 - Disability Rights in an African Context
8 – 12 March 2021 - African Human Rights System in Comparative Perspectives
15 – 19 March 2021 - Judicial Enforcement of Socio-Economic Rights in Africa
17 – 21 May 2021 - Policing Lockdown: Accountability and oversight of the criminal justice system in the time of COVID-19
24 – 28 May 2021 - Civil Society Law in Africa
7 – 11 June 2021 - Children's Rights in Africa
26 – 30 July 2021 - Police Oversight and Vulnerable Groups in Africa
6 – 10 September 2021
Applications for the following courses will open soon:
- Right to Development in Africa
14 – 18 September 2020 (New course date: 16 – 20 August 2021) - Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Africa
9 – 13 November 2020 (New course date: 13 – 17 September 2021) - Women’s Rights in Africa
26 – 30 October 2020 (No new course date)
The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, in collaboration with the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF), and African
The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (UP), with the support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held
The Advanced Human Rights Courses (AHRC), in collaboration with the Disability Rights Unit of the Centre for Human Rights, University
The Advanced Human Rights Courses (AHRC), in collaboration with the SOGIESC Unit of the Centre for Human Rights, University of