The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa, cordially invites you to apply for the Capacity Building Workshop on Strategic Advocacy and Litigation for human rights defenders working on the promotion and protection of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons in Africa.
Date: 7 – 9 October 2020
Time: 11:00 to 14:00 SAST (from Wednesday to Friday)
Venue: Online (Zoom)
The LGBTI Human Rights Defenders Workshop is an annual event aimed at empowering selected LGBT+ human rights defenders in Africa on designing and conducting strategic litigation and advocacy. The fifth edition will be held online from 7 to 9 October 2020.
Background
Resolution 275 of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights calls on state parties to curb violence on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. However, despite this, violence and discrimination targeted for these groups continue to exist. Similarly, human rights defenders and activists working on LGBTI issues continue to face different threats concerning their work. Against this background, the Centre for Human Rights will be conducting a three-day capacity building workshop for LGBTI human rights defenders in Africa.
The capacity building workshop is designed to assist activists in Africa to effectively promote and protect LGBTI+ rights through domestic, regional and international level litigation and advocacy. The workshop is targeted at experienced activists who want to build on their capacity and develop their skill-sets, and network with activists from other parts of Africa. It will include a combination of expert presentations delivered by experienced human rights defenders on advocacy and litigation opportunities. It will also include interactive advocacy and litigation exercises at regional and international levels. The workshop seeks to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations so that they can better pursue legal challenges and advocate on behalf of LGBTI individuals at risk of or have suffered serious violations of human rights. The workshop also aims to have participants learn from each other about the challenges of filing cases at domestic courts.
Participants
The workshop will bring together activists, scholars, practitioners, advocates for law reform, and notable LGBTI individuals from across Africa to address the issues of strategic advocacy and litigation. This event is directed at experienced human rights defenders in non-governmental organisations, with existing advocacy experience at the national level and some prior knowledge of the international human rights system.
Successful applicants will be notified of their selection by 30 September 2020. Participants should commit to attending all three days of the workshop. Certificates of participation will be issued by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, for successful completion of the workshop.
For more information, please contact:
Tel: +27 (0)12 420 3151
thiruna.naidoo@up.ac.za