This year’s advanced course on Children’s rights in Africa took place from 20 to 24 June 2022. The course was hosted by the Centre for Human Rights (CHR), University of Pretoria (UP), in collaboration with the Centre for Child law, University of Pretoria and Dullah Omar Institute, University of Western Cape (UWC) online via zoom.
The course was attended by about 115 children’s rights experts and practitioners from about 20 African countries, India, and the United States of America. Participants were drawn from a variety of sectors including academia, legal practitioners, human rights advocates, government staff members, members of parliament, members of the judiciary, and members of civil society organisations.
The usual trio coordinators of the course, Dr Nkatha Murungi, Assistant Director, CHR, UP, Mrs Karabo Ozah, Director of Centre for Child Law (UP) and Prof Usang Maria Assim, UWC started the course with welcome remarks, setting the course scenes, and introduction of the programme.
Dr Nkatha Murungi, CHR, UP, kicked off the first day discussions with an interactive session on the foundations, history and philosophies of childrens’ rights the concepts and the contestations of the rights of a child. The afternoon was taken by Prof Usang Maria Assim, UWC, who introduced the normative framework on children’s rights including: the international and regional legal instruments on children’s rights.
The second day started off with discussions on the implementation of children’s rights with Dr Elvis Fokala, Manager, Children’s Rights Unit, CHR, UP. While Dr Nkatha Murungi, CHR looked at intersectionality and vulnerability in children’s rights. Finally, Dr Robert Nanima, University of Western Cape concluded the day with discussions on ‘monitoring and accountability for implementation of children’s rights’ and the communications of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, as well as compliance with the decisions by African states.
Other presenters at this year’s course and the topics discussed were:
- Mr Edmund Foley
Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa - Enforcement of children’s rights: use of compliant mechanisms under the CRC and the ACRWC - Mrs Karabo Ozah
Centre for Child Law- Strategic litigation in national courts - Dr Musa Chibwana
Independent Child Rights expert - Child rights advocacy - Nimrod Muhumuza
University of Western Cape - Child rights and climate change - Isabel Magaya
Centre for Child Law, UP - Children’s rights and digital technology - Liesl Muller
Centre for Child law, UP - Children, migration and statelessness - Dr Godfrey Kangaude
Rhodes University - Sexual and reproductive rights of children - Dr Elvis Fokala
CHR – Children’s agency and participation.
We thank our partners for a successful course and the Norwegian Embassy for their financial support.
