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To celebrate African Human Rights Day, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, on 21 October launched the French and Portuguese versions of its Guide to the African human rights system.  The year 2021 marks 40 years since the adoption of Africa's primary human rights treaty, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, on 27 June 1981. Africa Human Rights Day has been inaugurated to mark the day when the Charter actually entered into force. This happened on 21 October 1986, 35 years ago!

The Guide to the African human rights system aims to provide a basic yet informative introduction to the African regional human rights system. It deals with the main African human rights norms and standards, in particular, the African Charter and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; and with the three main regional human rights bodies`: the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

This is the third iteration of this Guide, which first appeared on the occasion of the 30-year celebration of the adoption of the Charter, in 2011. Another edition appeared in 2017.

The Guide is published by the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP). All versions of the Guide are available online and at no cost, on the PULP website.

This updated, revised and expanded Guide has been made possible by the energy and dedication of the Centre's Publications Coordinator, Trésor Makunya Muhindo, and Lizette Hermann, the PULP Manager. Trésor is responsible for the French version of the Guide, with assistance from Sy Joseph Traoré. Leopoldina Gouveia and Emerson Lopes are responsible for the Portuguese-language version.

Arabic and Swahili versions of the Guide will be launched very soon and will be available on the same website.