The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, is hosting a one-week intensive online course on Police Oversight and Vulnerable Groups in Africa.
Course date: 7 - 11 September 2020
Venue: Zoom (online)
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on travel and global lockdowns, the course will be offered online on Zoom. The course fee has been waivered and successful applicants will attend the course for FREE
COVID-19 Update on this course
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, would like to inform applicants and prospective applicants of the Advanced Human Rights Course on Police Oversight and Vulnerable Groups (7 – 11 September 2020) that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of borders as well as academic institutions in South Africa, the course will be presented in a modified format — a format different from the conventional contact sessions.
The course will this year be presented virtually during the above period of one week, on Zoom. A limited number of applicants will be admitted to take part in the course. Lectures will be virtual, and participants will be required to do reading, submit assignments, and engage in exercises. There will be between 5 and 6 hours of interactive lectures a day. These lectures will be complemented by other activities.
Participants should therefore have access to reliable and consistent internet and must have the Zoom application on their laptops, desktop, cellphones or tablets.
An electronic certificate of participation will be awarded to all participants who successfully complete the course. Full participation is required for the award of the certificate.
About the course
Given the relative nascence of police oversight and accountability as an area of both academic and professional endeavour, the issue has, despite its obvious and critical importance, a limited profile in Africa.
There are few people that actively operate in the field, and who can boast a complete set of skills, particularly in the area of police oversight.
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.
During the one-week intensive course, scheduled from 7 - 11 September 2020, training is provided to practitioners, policy-makers, scholars and post-graduate students.
Topics may include the following:
- Police oversight: Theories and systems
- Democratic policing
- The architecture of police oversight
- Police oversight in Africa: Challenges and opportunities
- Internal and external oversight: Systems and practice
- Police Standards: Overview of relevant International and regional standards monitoring police action
- Police corruption
- Use of force
- Public order and policing elections
- Torture
- Custody visits and citizen oversight
- National security and access to information
- Policing gender and sexual violence
- The role of the police in investigating and prosecuting sexual and gender related crimes
- Working with the police to improve public health outcomes of key populations
Fees
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on travel and global lockdowns, the course will be offered online on Zoom.
The course fee is therefore FREE.
Scholarships
Since the course is FREE, scholarships are no longer applicable.
Application procedure
Important Notice:
A high proficiency in English is required to attend this course. All lectures and materials are in English. Prior to applying for this course, please read through the information on the practical information and the payment details pages.
Documents to be submitted:
- Curriculum Vitae (short CV in PDF or Word document, maximum 3 pages, maximum 10 MB in file size)
- One Letter of Recommendation (PDF or Word document, maximum of 10 MB in file size)
- Academic Records (students only) (combined in one PDF or Word document, maximum 10 MB in file size)
*Please note that in order to apply for any of the Advanced Human Rights Courses, you are required to use a Google Gmail account.
Application deadline
Applications closed on 31 August 2020.
Overview of previous courses
Contact
For more information, please contact:

Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 4197
Fax: +27 (0) 86 580 5743
dennis.antwi@up.ac.za
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