From 17 to 21 March 2025, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria hosted the Advanced Short Course on Disability Rights in an African context (short course). The short course was presented in hybrid format, with some participants attending in person at the University of Pretoria and others joining virtually via zoom. Participants at the short course were from various African countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe, The Gambia, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Lesotho, Madagascar, Eswatini, Botswana, Cameroon, Rwanda, Liberia, Togo, and Ireland. They were drawn from a number of sectors including academia, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations and government.
Each of the five days of the short course was dedicated to exploring a specific theme. Day one was dedicated to laying the foundation by introducing participants to the two global and regional human rights instruments on the rights of persons with disabilities, namely, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa (African Disability Protocol).
Day two focused on specific rights found in both the CRPD and the African Disability Protocol including sexual and reproductive health rights, rights of children with disabilities, the right to education, and the right to legal capacity.
Day three was dedicated to exploring the contemporary issues and impact of intersectional discrimination and how such discrimination affects persons with disabilities. Participants also discussed the situation of persons with albinism in Africa, deinstitutionalisation, access to justice and disability and migration.
On day four, various workshops aimed at building the participants’ capacity to promote the rights of persons with disabilities were presented. This includes a workshop on strategic litigation, reflections on self-advocacy, and workshop on technology and disability rights.
The final day of the short course was aimed at giving the participants an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained throughout the week by participating in group assignments and presentations.
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