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On 26th April 2023, the Centre for Human Rights organized a Webinar to present its report findings on the African Development Bank's (AfDB) response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. The objective of the webinar was to present the study and evaluate the AfDB's response to the public health and socio-economic challenges posed by the pandemic. The webinar also aimed to identify measures to enhance civil society's capacity to monitor AfDB activities to ensure transparency and accountability for AfDB-funded projects.
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Celebrating Worker’s Day in South Africa on 1 May 2023 has a hollow ring to it. Commemorating the achievements of the labour movement, including many important improvements to working conditions, and celebrating the crucial role of the working class in our country’s past and present, are overshadowed by the alarmingly high unemployment rate among South Africans. The precarious position of domestic workers demands more visibility about their rights and greater accountability for those who violate their rights. Acknowledging South Africa’s membership of the global community, and conscious of the undercurrent of xenophobia, consideration should be given to placing the rights of migrant workers on a firmer footing by ratifying the United Nations treaty on this theme.
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On Saturday 15 April 2023, the Centre for Huma Rights (CHR) University of Pretoria honoured an invite to the documentary screening of ‘The Unexceptional Parent’ hosted at Bertha House in Cape Town.
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On 24 April 2023, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (UP), and the Human Rights Implementation Centre, University of Bristol, in the United Kingdom, held a roundtable dialogue on exploring interdisciplinary approaches to the implementation and impact of human rights decisions.
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On 20 April 2023, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (CHR), and Public Interest Practice co-hosted a visiting Ukrainian delegation. During the meeting, which took place on the campus of the University of Pretoria, the conversation centred around the Russian invasion into Ukraine and its impact on the population in the country.
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The Centre for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria and Youth and Society (YAS), invites you to a webinar on the state of Access to Information (ATI) in Malawi. The webinar seeks to assess Malawi’s compliance with the international human rights practices on the right of access to information and to provide a platform for stakeholders working in the ATI sector to share insights on the implementation of Malawi’s Access to Information Act.
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On Friday 14 April 2023, the SOGIESC unit attended and presented at the Gender Dynamix Model Policy Framework (MPF) Launch and Colloquium convened by the Office for Inclusivity and Change (OIC) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), in collaboration with The Gender and Violence Prevention Unit also from the University of Cape Town. The launch follows the celebration of Trans Day of Visibility on 31 March 2023.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (UP), recently formally bid farewell to an outstanding colleague and friend, Professor Danny Bradlow. Prof Bradlow is now based in UP’s Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship. Prof Danny Bradlow has been with us at the Centre for 15 years. He was a SARChI Professor of International Development Law and African Economic Relations and Head of the International Development Law Unit (IDLU).
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The Centre for Human Rights cordially invites you to a webinar on Monitoring the African Development Bank response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa.
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The Expression, Information and Digital Rights (EIDR) Unit of the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria attended the Digital Rights Inclusion Forum (DRIF) held in Nairobi, Kenya from 12 - 14 April 2023. DRIF is a platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, policy directions debated, and partnerships forged for action. The 2023 theme was ‘Building a sustainable Internet for all.’ Together with its consortium partners, Global Partners Digital (GPD), Article 19 West Africa, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), and PROTEGE QV, the Centre hosted a panel discussion titled ‘At what risk to rights and internet freedom? Examining government responses to disinformation’.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (the Centre) denounces the conviction of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere. Mahere, a prominent political activist and lawyer, was found guilty by a Harare Regional Magistrate on charges of publishing falsehoods emanating from a retweet where she shared information that a police officer had beaten to death a child with a baton in Harare. The Court held that she undermined the authority of the police through her tweet and noted that her conduct was reckless and detrimental to the State as it intended to undermine the police force and also erode public confidence in the law enforcement agents. The contentious charges carried an imprisonment term of up to 20 years and a fine. The Court opted to impose a fine of USD 500 on Mahere and not a prison sentence.
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On 4 April 2023, the Expression, Information and Digital Rights Unit, and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe, hosted an engagement workshop with political actors in Harare, Zimbabwe. The engagement workshop, which was attended by eight Members of Parliament and thirteen representatives from various government departments, discussed the role of political actors in promoting rights respecting approaches to tackling disinformation in Zimbabwe. The Centre for Human Rights (the Centre) was represented by Marystella Simiyu and Jared Gekombe. The workshop was facilitated by a panel of experts namely: Marystella Simiyu of Centre for Human Rights, Nompilo Simanje of International Press Institute, Rehyana Masters, independent expert, and Helen Sithole of MISA-Zimbabwe.
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From 12 to 14 April 2023, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (Centre) and the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights (RFK) hosted an Inter-Mechanism Dialogue between the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Inter-American Commission) at the University of Pretoria.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria in collaboration with Public Interest Practice cordially invites you to the delegation briefing on the current situation in Ukraine, discussing the impact of the war on South Africa and exploring opportunities for partnerships between Ukrainian and South African organisations.
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The Centre for Human Rights (the Centre) in partnership with Women in Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Lesotho hosted a one-day stakeholders’ meeting on compliance with the concluding observations and recommendations under the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol). The meeting took place in Maseru, Lesotho on 13 April 2023.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Children’s Rights Unit, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, and the Global Campus for Human Rights, successfully conducted a two-day workshop in Lilongwe, Malawi. The workshop focused on promoting child participation in development frameworks in Africa and strengthening the African base of the Global Child Leading Team.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Children’s Rights Unit, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, and the Global Campus for Human Rights, successfully conducted the first day of a two-day workshop on promoting child participation in development frameworks in Africa and strengthening the African base of the Global Child Leading Team, held in Lilongwe, Malawi.
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On 31 March 2023, the Expression, Information and Digital Rights Unit, Centre for Human Rights welcomed the team from Lawyers Hub Kenya. The delegation was led by the CEO and founder Linda Bonyo.
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The University of Dayton Human Rights Center, in collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights of the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, and the Free State Centre for Human Rights of the Faculty of Law, University of the Free State, will host a joint convening, bringing together the 2023 Social Practice of Human Rights Conference and the 6th International Conference on the Right to Development, which will be held for the first time outside of the African continent.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (Centre), is proud to commemorate Trans Day of Visibility, which falls every year and is celebrated internationally on 31 March. This day is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the contributions of trans gender and gender diverse individuals in our society, and to raise awareness of the challenges and discrimination that they face. Trans Day of Visibility Founder Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a Michigan-based and licensed psychotherapist and transgender advocate, chose the month of March to not to ‘step on the toes’ of other Trans Day of Remembrance on 20 November or American Pride Month in June.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, invites you to webinar series on decisions of African human rights bodies with the goal of increasing awareness and understanding among relevant stakeholders about the jurisprudence of African human rights bodies. The webinar series serves as a platform for analysing the normative aspects of recent human rights decisions made by AHRBs, diagnosing and identifying the challenges to the implementation of these decisions, and devising strategies for their effective implementation.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of law, University of Pretoria (CHR) and the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS, and Gender, University of Pretoria (CSA&G) condemn the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill by the Parliament of Uganda on 21 March 2023.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, cordially invites you to apply for its Capacity Building Workshop on Strategic Litigation and Advocacy for human rights defenders working on the promotion and protection of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and other non-binary and gender-nonconforming persons in Africa.
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On 23 March 2023, the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (the Centre) in partnership with the University of Antwerp, Belgium hosted a Roundtable dialogue on litigating the right to development in domestic courts in Africa. The dialogue was held alongside the visit of the King and Queen of Belgium to South Africa. The dialogue was conducted in a hybrid format with both physical and virtual participants including, delegates from the Government of Belgium and Flanders, Academic partners from the Free State Centre for Human Rights, University of Free State, University of Antwerp, University of Ghent, Université Saint-Louis-Bruxelles, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, Civil Society actors and human rights practitioners and students from the Centre for Human Rights among others.
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On 4 March 2023, the Centre for Human Rights SOGIESC Unit team was in Cape Town to commemorate the final event on the World Pride calendar. The Pride Festival, hosted by Cape Town Pride and Outreach Africa, was supported by various organisations involved in the realisation of rights and freedoms of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, non-binary, asexual, polysexual, genderqueer and gender variant people (LGBTIQ+) community throughout the African region.
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The Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit, in collaboration with Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office (GEADO) at the Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice, University of Free State recently hosted a one day training workshop on 18 March 2023 aimed at equipping members and allies of the LGBTI+ community in South Africa with the knowledge and capacity to access the Equality Court through lodging civil claims. The training is part of a larger project to host trainings on accessing Equality Courts throughout South Africa in order to empower LGBTI+ communities to claim their rights.
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On 22 March 2023, the Centre for Human Rights Democracy and Civic Engagement Unit convened a Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) dialogue in partnership with the European Union that interrogated the state of human rights in South. The event aimed to create a space for an exchange of ideas among members of civil society, to identify the main challenges and possible priority actions for civil society - particularly in respect of migration, socio-economic, LGBTQ+ and persons with disabilities rights.
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‘Badudwan’ is a practice in Ghana where a man is given a cow in recognition of him have borne 10 children. In the process the woman who has been put under pressure to carry all 10 (or more) pregnancies is ignored. Organisations might be allowed into school to discuss sexuality education for adolescents but personal convictions of staff block the distribution of contraceptive products to the youth. These are only some of the issues that have come up in the discussions on sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) in Ghana during a training organised by the Women’s Rights Unit, Centre for Human Rights in collaboration with WiLDAF Ghana from 16-17 March 2023. The meeting is part of the project funded by the Swedish International Development Corporation (SIDA). The project is aimed at strengthening SRHR in Africa.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (Centre), commends the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) on taking a meaningful step forward in the pursuit of equality and justice for intersex persons in Africa by for the first time in its history adopting a legal text on the rights of intersex persons in Africa. This text takes the form of a resolution titled ‘Resolution 552 on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Intersex Persons in Africa’. In it, the Commission calls on African states to protect the rights of intersex children by ending non-consensual genital normalising practices and to promote intersex person’s rights through education and sensitisation.
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The Advanced Human Rights Courses (AHRC), in collaboration with the Disability Rights Unit of the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (UP), recently hosted the annual short course on Disability Rights in an African Context, from 6 – 10 March 2023. The short course was held in a hybrid format; on zoom and at the SRC chambers based at the University of Pretoria.
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On 14 - 15 March 2023 in Accra, Ghana the Women’s Rights Unit met with Ghanaian government representatives and civil society organisations to facilitate a workshop on strengthening compliance with Ghana’s state reporting obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol).
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria in partnership with the University of Antwerp with support of the Flemish government cordially invite you to Roundtable Dialogue on Litigation of the Right to Development in Domestic Courts in Africa
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria welcomed the third cohort of master’s students on the LLM/MPhil Disability Rights in Africa (DRIA) programme during an orientation week (Week Zero) which was held from 3 to 4 March 2023.
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To celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) this year, the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, seeks to accredit the potential for women to benefit socially and economically from the digital revolution. Yet, there is also a chance that it will reinforce current patterns of gender inequity. Despite numerous substantial initiatives, there is still a sizable gender gap in the digital world, which prevents high-, low-, and middle-income countries from equally reaping the rewards of digital transformation.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria commends the Supreme Court of Kenya on its decision upholding the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission’s right to register as a non-governmental organisation with the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ in its title.
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On 27 February 2023, the Disability Rights Unit at the Centre for Human Rights hosted a dialogue on the newly adopted Guidelines_on_Deinstitutionalization.pdf, including in Emergencies (‘the Guidelines’). The adoption of the Guidelines was announced by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 9 September 2022. The primary objective of the Guidelines is to provide guidance to States Parties on how to ensure that persons with disabilities realise the right to live independently and to be included in the community as stipulated in article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with a focus on the deinstitutionalisation process. The dialogue sought to introduce stakeholders to the substantive content of the Guidelines and to examine their use in African advocacy initiatives to promote the right to live independently and be included in the community.
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The Centre for Human Rights Disability Rights Unit invites you to a dialogue on the newly adopted guidelines on deinstitutionalisation.
The dialogue seeks to:
- Introduce stakeholders to the substantive content of the guidelines
- Interrogate the practical application of the guidelines in African countries
- Examine the use of the guidelines in advocacy initiatives to promote the right to live independently and be included in the community
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In response to the African Commission’s unfortunate decision to reject observer status applications by three human rights organizations in its final communique of its 73rd ordinary session, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria and its partners - Synergía Initiatives for Human Rights, the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA), PanAfrica ILGA, Amnesty International, and Mouvement pour les Libertés Individuelles (MOLI) condemn this decision that threatens the Commission’s ability to promote and protect human rights for all.
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The Expression, Information and Digital Rights (EIDR) unit in collaboration with the Media Institute of Southern Africa Zimbabwe (MISA-Zimbabwe) conducted a capacity-building workshop on promoting rights-respecting approaches to disinformation for Community-based Organisations (CBOs) on 17 November in Harare, Zimbabwe. Representatives from the media fraternity and academic institutions were also in attendance.
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On 29 and 30 November 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria the Centre for Human Rights Women’s Rights Unit held a joint jurisprudential colloquium for Commissioners of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Judges of the Economic Community of West African States Court of Justice (ECOWAS Court). Judge President Edward Amoako Asante of the ECOWAS Court and Commissioner Janet Sallah-Njie, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights are among the eminent attendees. The purpose of the Judicial Colloquium was to sensitise the judicial and quasi-judicial officers on attaining substantive equality for women in Africa through a gender-sensitive approach to the application and interpretation of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol).
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On 24 and 25 November 2022, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, in partnership with OutRight Action International, and with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in South Africa, held a Conference on the Decriminalisation of Same-Sex Law and the Eradication Conversion Practices in African countries.
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The Centre for Human Rights (CHR), in partnership with the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and the University of Zimbabwe, successfully launched the Zimbabwe Constitutional Literacy Booklet on 16 November in Harare, Zimbabwe.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (the Centre), is providing technical support to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) in its continental project on human rights and artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and other new and emerging technologies in Africa.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria cordially invites you to the Launch of an Impact Analysis Study of the African Union (AU) Economic Cultural and Social Council (ECOSOCC) in the Governance structure of the African Union.
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On 17 November 2022, the 10th annual disability rights in Africa Conference organised by the Disability Rights Unit at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria kicked off at Southern Sun hotel OR Tambo, South Africa. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘migration, displacement and disability: a human rights response’. The aim of the two day conference is to critically appraise laws, policies, practices, programmes, polities and ideologies that relate to migration and displacement and suggest remedial measures for protecting and ensuring the rights of migrants and internally displaced persons (IDPs) with disabilities.
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Over two days, 15 and 16 November 2022, the Children Rights Unit at the Center for Human Rights, hosted a training workshop to capacitate selected state officials from varied ministries on strategies to incorporate the impact of Climate Change on children’s Socio-economic Rights in their state reports to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Committee).
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The Centre for Human Rights(CHR), in collaboration with the International Working Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) and the working group on indigenous Populations/ Communities of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights hosted their course on 7-11 November 2022. The Course was held in a hybrid format with 20 participants attending physically at graduate center of the University of Pretoria and 35 attending online from countries in Africa and abroad. Participants were drawn from all walks of life including but not limited to students, legal practitioners, Indigenous Rights Advocates and members of indigenous communities, members of government institutions, Public Prosecutors, amongst others.
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The Children's Rights Unit at the Centre for Human Rights launched its Study on Child Participation in Development Frameworks in Africa.
Child participation is a fundamental right guaranteed in international law, specifically under articles 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and 4(2) of the African Children’s Charter. It is a facilitative right that is significant in the intellectual development of the child and vital for a child’s autonomy and social responsibility later in a child’s life course.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (the Centre) hosted an Access to Information and Elections in South Africa symposium on 10 and 11 November 2022 at the University of Pretoria. Co-hosting the event were the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the Information Regulator (IR), the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA). The symposium is part of an advocacy project to promote the transparency and integrity of elections, and meaningful participation in elections by an informed electorate in South Africa. To this end, the symposium advocates for the implementation of the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa were developed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. Further, the symposium seeks to promote the implementation of the recommendations of the 2020 report titled Proactive Disclosure of Information and Elections in South Africa. The SA report assessed South Africa’s compliance with the Guidelines and made targeted recommendations to electoral stakeholders.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (the Centre) will be hosting an Access to Information and Elections in South Africa symposium on 10 and 11 November 2022 at the University of Pretoria. The symposium is hosted in collaboration with the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the Information Regulator (IR), the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA).
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The Centre for Human Rights (Centre) in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) under the aegis of the Rule of Law Program for Sub Saharan Africa developed simple-easy-reference booklets (for non-lawyers) that summarise the Bill of Rights as espoused in the constitutions of selected “Anglophone African” countries including Zimbabwe. The broad aim is to promote human rights and Constitutional literacy in Africa.
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The Centre for Human Rights, in collaboration with its partners SIPD-Uganda and Intersex Community of Zimbabwe (ICoZ), launched an intersex report on the sidelines of the ongoing 73rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, The Gambia.
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In the last few years Africa’s sub-regional courts have passed judgments that buttress the importance of internet freedom. On 17 July 2022 the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Court) found that the Nigerian government’s 7-month Twitter ban violated article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
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Shadow reporting
Member states are obligated to report to the African Commission every two years, in accordance with its guidelines, on measures they have taken to give effect to the provisions of the African Charter; and its Protocols, including the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa; the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa, the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa; the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Citizens to Social Protection and Social Security; the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa; and any other subsequent regional human rights treaties in respect of which the African Commission has the mandate to monitor state reporting.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (the Centre) is pleased to invite interested persons to express their interest to participate in a two-day election symposium on 10 - 11 November 2022 at the University of Pretoria.
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In collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria and the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, Wits University Natural Justice will host a two-day conference to empower young activists and students with knowledge and tools to influence climate justice in South Africa.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, cordially invites you to its 10th Annual Disability Rights Conference on 17 and 18 November 2022 which will take place in a hybrid format (in Pretoria, South Africa; and on zoom). The theme of this year’s conference is “Migration, Displacement and Disability: A human rights’ response”. Kindly note that for those who wish to attend the conference physically/in-person, it is required that you cover your own costs (air tickets, accommodation, transport, etc). The Centre will cover costs of conferencing. For those who wish to attend the conference virtually, you are simply requested to fill out the Google form, and the zoom link will be emailed to you.
The conference acts as a platform for convening dialogue amongst key stakeholders on disability rights, and to spotlight the pertinent and emerging disability rights concerns in the African region.
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The right to access justice is an important cross-cutting right that is a pre-requisite for the enjoyment and vindication of all other human rights and fundamental freedoms. Enshrined in article 13 of the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and article 13 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa (African Disability Protocol), the right guarantees effective access to justice through the provision of procedural, age and gender-appropriate accommodations.
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Amnesty International, the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria and UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly are hosting an event on Protecting The Right To Protest in Africa on the Side-lines of the ACHPR 73rd Ordinary Session.
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The Centre for Human Rights’ Expression, Information and Digital Rights (EIDR) Unit hosted a two-day-long training and capacity-building workshop on Digital Rights in Southern Africa, from 04 to 05 October 2022. The workshop was targeted at government officials and National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in Southern Africa. It is part of the stakeholder-specific workshops that commenced following the launch of the Digital Rights in Southern Africa report, which informs the training. The participants were from Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
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The Global Coalition on Deinstitutionalization (‘GC-DI’) calls on all bodies and agencies of the UN to support the implementation of the UN Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization, including in Emergencies (‘the Guidelines’). We further call on States parties and regional integration organizations to align reform processes with the authoritative guidance being provided to them by the adoption of the Guidelines. We urge all stakeholders to ensure that deinstitutionalization processes conform to the letter and spirit of the Convention, and prioritise the leadership of persons with disabilities.
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On 8 September 2022 the Center for Gender Studies and Feminist Futures (CGS) and the Center for Conflict Studies (CCS) at the University of Marburg hosted the final session of the webinar series in the Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversations: Scholarly and Activist Perspectives on LGBTIQ+ Lived Realities in Africa in collaboration with the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS, and Gender (CSA&G), and the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) at the University of Pretoria. The Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversations creates a monthly space for in-depth discussions designed to tap into the intersections of knowledge-production and transfer between diverse scholarly and activist spheres and contributes to methodological, conceptual, and normative aspects of centering LGBTIQ+ rights and lived realities in African contexts.
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The Expression, Information and Digital Rights Unit cordially invites you to the first of five interactive sessions on the Implementation of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), 2013.
SESSION 3: Protection of Personal Information and Organisational Compliance
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, cordially invites you to a webinar organised by the Democracy and Civic Engagement Unit on participation of young people in elections and politics on the continent with a specific focus on Kenya, Zambia and South Africa. The webinar will interrogate the influences driving participation of young Africans informed by trends of most recent election cycles in the selected countries. This webinar aims to understand the trend towards declining youth participation and the influences driving this as well as garner lessons from instances where youth participation in elections has been robust.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, at the University of Pretoria (Centre for Human Rights), is extending an invitation to you to participate in a webinar launching a study on the impact of COVID-19 on older women in Southern Africa.
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The Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit of the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, is recruiting for: (i) a part-time position and (ii) a full-time position of Project Officer each under a twelve-month contract beginning in January 2023 and ending on 31 December 2023, renewable based on performance and continued funding.
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On 9 June 2022 the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) at the University of Pretoria facilitated the fifth event in the Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversations: Scholarly and Activist Perspectives on LGBTIQ+ Lived Realities in Africa in collaboration with the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS, and Gender (CSA&G) at the University Pretoria, the Center for Gender Studies and Feminist Futures (CGS) and the Center for Conflict Studies (CCS) at the University of Marburg. The Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversations series creates a monthly space for in-depth discussions designed to tap into the intersections of knowledge-production and transfer between diverse scholarly and activist spheres and contributes to methodological, conceptual, and normative aspects of centering LGBTIQ+ rights and lived realities in African contexts.
The Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversations continue on 8 September 2022 with the topic ‘Prospects and Challenges for Transnational Activism to Advance LGBTIQ+ Rights in Africa’ organised by the Center for Gender Studies and Feminist Futures (CGS) and the Centre for Conflict Studies (CCS) at the University of Marburg. Register for the following webinar below:
- 8 September 2022, 12:00 SAST to 13:30 SAST / 12:00 CET to 13:30 CET:
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa, hosted a week-long capacity-building workshop on strategic litigation and advocacy for LGBTI+ human rights defenders in Africa. The workshop is an annual event organised by the Centre’s Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit. The workshop aims to capacitate LGBTI+ human rights defenders in Africa with knowledge and skills to conduct strategic litigation and advocacy supporting litigation efforts. This year’s edition took place in Pretoria from 22 to 26 August 2022.
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Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) play an important and ever-shifting role in African politics and influence the power dynamics on the continent. A vibrant and functioning CSO sector is essential to African societies and their development in various ways, including lobbying for the protection of human rights, amplifying civil voices and acting as external oversight bodies, holding African governments to account. CSOs' influence on policy-making on the continent is essential as they represent the interests of various groups. One of the African Union (AU) organs that facilitates the involvement of African CSOs and, ultimately, the African citizenry is the AU Economic, Social & Cultural Council (ECOSOCC). Established in 2004 by way of Articles 2 and 25 of the AU Constitutive Act, as an advisory body to the AU, this organ provides a platform for representation and involvement of African CSOs in decision-making on the continent through influencing AU policies, programmes and principles. Key areas of ECOSOCC's work in this regard are upholding the principles and policies of the AU by advising on and evaluating these programmes; undertaking studies and making recommendations; and contributing to the promotion of human rights, the rule of law, good governance, and democratic principles.
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The African Union (AU) commemorates its second decade this year. This milestone presents a moment to reflect on the founding aspirations of the body, assess the current progress in achieving these, and provide suggestions of what the continent should do to achieve these aspirations. This piece assesses the AU's role in peace and security on the continent as far as election-related violence (ERV) is concerned and the linkages between various organs of the AU to achieve this, particularly the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC). Timothy Sisk defines ERV as 'acts of verbal assault, intimidation, coercion and physical harm used to sabotage an electoral process (at any given point) or eliminate electoral competition.' The United Nations recognises ERV as a 'form of political violence which is often designed to influence an electoral outcome and, therefore, political power distribution.'
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The Centre is implementing a research project on the impact of race and colour on the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with albinism in South Africa. The project seeks to determine the extent and the manner in which racism and colourism hinder the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with albinism in South Africa. Accordingly, the Centre is seeking to recruit an experienced consultant with extensive knowledge on the rights of persons with albinism. The consultant is expected to conduct a desktop research study to ascertain the impact of race and colour on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism in South Africa.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, in partnership with the University of Antwerp, cordially invites you to a webinar dialogue on clarifying the nature, content and importance of the right to development in Africa. The Dialogue will attempt to interrogate critical issues around Human Rights Based Approach to Development; Debt Financing, Taxation and development; IFFS and Development; Public Services and the SDG agenda; PPPs and development; Climate Change and Sustainable Development and the Draft Treaty on Right to Development among others. These will help guide formulation of strategic interventions to inform the right to development discourse in Africa and international mechanisms.
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On 15 August 2022, the Centre for Human Rights’ Expression, Information and Digital Rights unit hosted a digital rights training and capacity-building workshop for civil society organisations from Botswana, DRC, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Among the participants were representatives of NGOs, journalists, lawyers, and academics. The training was based on the Digital Rights Landscape in Southern Africa report launched on 3 August 2022. The objective of the training was to advance and enhance public interest and awareness of digital rights among civil society organisations.
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The Disability Rights Unit, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, conducted a research study to map out the barriers faced by persons with disabilities in accessing the criminal justice systems in Botswana, South Africa and Zambia. Botswana, South Africa and Zambia have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2021, 2007 and 2010, respectively. The (CRPD) enshrines the rights of persons with disabilities, including the right to access justice on an equal basis with others under article 13.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, and the NorwegianCentre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, cordially invite you to a thematic and country-level discussion of the influence of the United Nations treaty system on the promotion and protection of human rights at the national level.
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On 4 August 2022, The Democracy and Civic Engagement Unit of the Centre for Human Rights(the Centre), University of Pretoria(UP), in collaboration with the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) hosted a cocktail reception in honour of Dr. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, the new Chief Executive Officer of AUDA- NEPAD, and His Excellency Chief Charumbira Fortune Zefania, the New President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and Members of the Bureau. The newly elected Members of the Bureau are: Hon. Prof. Massouda Mohamed Laghdaf; Hon. Dr Ashebiri Gayo; Hon. Lúcia Maria Mendes Gonçalves dos Passos; and Hon. Francois Ango Ndoutoume.
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Every year, on August 9, South Africa country marks Women’s Day. The day is used to pay tribute to the more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women, a system meant to subjugate women even further and reduce women to passive beings, at the mercy of men. In addition to celebrating the strength and resilience of South Africa women, the day brings attention to the issues that African women face then and now. These issues include gender-based violence (GBV), discrimination and harassment in different areas of life, unequal pay, lack of access to education and sexual and reproductive health services and in recent times the disproportionate impact of climate change.
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The African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA) congratulates the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC) and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) on successfully convening the 4th Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights Indaba in Johannesburg from the 27 - 28 July 2022, under the theme: ‘Towards a legally binding instrument’: Lessons learnt from the pandemic.’
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On 3 August 2022, the Expression, Information and Digital Rights unit, launched the Digital Rights in Southern Africa Landscape report. The report is based on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and other international and regional human rights instruments that are important in the enforcement of human rights in the digital age. It seeks to enhance public interest and awareness of digital rights to exert direct influence on Southern African states to implement normative human rights standards in the digital age.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, cordially invites you to join the launch of The Digital Rights Landscape in Southern Africa report based on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and other international and regional human rights instruments that are relevant in articulating human rights in the digital age. The report aims to improve the level of public interest and awareness on digital rights to exert direct influence on Southern African states to implement normative human rights in the digital age.
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The Expression, Information and Digital Rights Unit cordially invites you to the first of five interactive sessions on the Implementation of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), 2013.
SESSION I Topic: Protection of Personal Information and Consent under the POPIA
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The fourth of six-event series in the Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversations: Scholarly and Activist Perspectives on LGBTIQ+ Lived Realities in Africa was held on 7 July 2022. The Centre for Sexualities, AIDS, and Gender (CSA&G) at the University Pretoria facilitated the webinar session in collaboration with the Center for Gender Studies and Feminist Futures (CGS) and the Centre for Conflict Studies (CCS) at the University of Marburg and the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) at the University of Pretoria. The Pretoria- Marburg Queer Conversations creates a monthly space for in-depth discussions designed to tap into the intersections of knowledge-production and transfer between diverse scholarly and activist spheres and contributes to methodological, conceptual, and normative aspects of centering LGBTIQ+ rights and lived realities in African contexts.
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On 9 June 2022, the Center for Gender Studies and Feminist Futures (CGS) and the Centre for Conflict Studies (CCS) at the University of Marburg coordinated the third webinar in the Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversations: Scholarly and Activist Perspectives on LGBTIQ+ Lived Realities in Africa in collaboration with the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS, and Gender (CSA&G) at the University Pretoria and the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) at the University of Pretoria. The Pretoria- Marburg Queer Conversations creates a monthly space for in-depth discussions designed to tap into the intersections of knowledge-production and transfer between diverse scholarly and activist spheres and contributes to methodological, conceptual, and normative aspects of centering LGBTIQ+ rights and lived realities in African contexts.
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The Free State Centre for Human Rights, University of the Free State in collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, the Thabo Mbeki School of International Affairs, University of South Africa, the Human Rights Centre, University of Dayton and the National University of Lesotho, present the Fifth International Conference on the Right to Development under the theme ‘Realising the Right to Development: Between coups d’état and the syndrome of life presidency in Africa’.
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The Disability Rights Unit Clinic, Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, hosted a Zoom webinar to call for the ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa (African Disability Protocol).
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On 1 July 2022, the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, in conjunction with Validity Foundation, held an Africa regional online consultation on the CRPD draft guidelines on deinstitutionalisation, including in emergencies.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (CHR) is looking for a consultant to undertake a survey on the state of access to information during elections following the 2019 elections in South Africa. This falls under the access to information and elections project of the Expression, Information and Digital Rights Unit of the CHR.
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Join us as we discuss why African States should ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Persons with disability in Africa.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria is pleased to announce the continued expansion of the project on assessing State compliance with the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa (the Guidelines). The Guidelines is a soft law instrument developed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) and adopted during its 61st Ordinary Session in November 2017. It derives from article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights which guarantees the right of access to information. The Guidelines require the Member States of the African Charter to give effect to the right of access to information through legislative and other measures.
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The Centre for Human Rights cordially invites stakeholders including States parties, right-holders under the Convention, principally persons with disabilities through their representative organizations, other civil society organizations, independent monitoring mechanisms, national human rights institutions, and Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures mandate holders to participate in the Africa Regional Online Consultation that is scheduled to take place on 01 July 2022, at 10:00 am SAST.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, condemns the disbarring of lawyer Muzi Simelane by Eswatini Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala. The Chief Justice disbarred Mr Simelane by way of notice in April 2018 on the basis of alleged contempt. Since he was banned from appearing in any court in Eswatini, Mr Simelane has not practised law for the past four years. The Chief Justice issued the notice from his chambers without any court hearing, application by the Law Society of Swaziland or determination by a tribunal that the lawyer had committed an act of misconduct. Chief Justice Maphalala purported to act in accordance with sections 139(5) and 142 of the Constitution of Eswatini when he issued the notice mero motu. On 10 June 2022, Mr Simelane challenged his disbarment by the Chief Justice in the Supreme Court of Eswatini after several failed attempts to secure judicial redress.
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On 23 June 2022, the Centre for Human Rights held a high-level meeting to encourage African Union (AU) member states to ratify three instruments. First, is the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa (Older Persons Protocol), which was adopted by the AU in 2016. Second, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa (African Disability Protocol), adopted in 2018. Third, the Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention) was adopted by the AU in 2009. The Older Persons Protocol and the African Disability Protocol are both not yet in force as they are yet to receive the 15 ratifications necessary for them to come into effect.
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On 23 June 2022, the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (the ‘Centre’) hosted a roundtable discussion for alumni of its Capacity Building Workshop on Strategic Litigation and Advocacy for LGBTIQ+ Human Rights Defenders in Africa. The workshop is the Centre’s annual event designed to assist LGBTIQ+ activists in Africa to effectively promote and protect LGBTIQ+ rights through domestic, regional, and international level strategic litigation and advocacy using African-specific approaches. The annual workshop is targeted at experienced activists in Africa who want to build on their capacity, develop their skills, and network with activists from other parts of Africa. The workshop seeks to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations in Africa so that they can better pursue legal challenges and advocate on behalf of LGBTIQ+ individuals at risk of or who have suffered serious violations of human rights under domestic African laws. The workshop also aims to have participants think through and develop autochthonous, African-specific ways of advocacy and strategic litigation, and learn from each other about the challenges of filing cases at domestic courts.
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We are pleased to invite you to participate in a hybrid conference on children’s rights organised by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. The conference is scheduled, to take place from 28 - 29 June 2022, in Pretoria, South Africa.
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Of 55 member states of the African Union, only six have the Portuguese language as an official language. This presents challenges and opportunities for the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in its mandate to promote the respect for and monitor the implementation of human rights on the continent. The Centre for Human Rights (the Centre) in collaboration with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) are hosting a hybrid workshop with five PALOPs on using the state reporting process to monitor the implementation of the rights contained in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol).
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The Centre for Human Rights (the Centre) is looking for experienced local researchers to conduct a review of discriminatory laws related to violence against women (VAW) in the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Gabonese Republic, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Mali and Cape Verde.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, cordially invites you to the launch of a report focusing on a study carried out to monitor the impact of COVID-19 and related emergency measures on persons with disabilities in Southern Africa.
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On 6 June 2022, the Disability Rights Unit at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria hosted a capacity-building training workshop for African civil society to implement and monitor the implementation of human rights of persons with albinism in Africa. The aim of the workshop was to equip persons with albinism with tools to enable them to be better placed to engage with National, regional and international mechanisms including and not limited to reporting, engagement with the UN systems such as independent experts and special rapporteurs and periodic reporting as advocacy tools. The countries represented at the workshop were Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania.
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria invites you to a webinar discussion on Climate Justice Litigation in Africa. The webinar discussion is part of the efforts of the Centre in improving climate justice in Africa. The discussion aims to raise awareness around the legal framework on climate justice and its application in Africa, and how litigation may be utilised as part of broader advocacy campaigns for climate justice. The discussion will feature experts and activists to discuss the existing climate change legal framework and the role of litigation in getting governments and other gas emitters to act.
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The Centre for Human Rights (CHR) and the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS, and Gender (CSA&G) at the University Pretoria together with the Center for Gender Studies and Feminist Futures (CGS) and the Center for Conflict Studies (CCS) at the Philipps-University Marburg cordially invite you the third edition of the Pretoria-Marburg Queer Conversations on the Colonial Legacies of Anti-LGBTIQ+ Rights in African States.
