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The Pretoria Student Law Review (PSLR) is now accepting original research articles, case notes as well as book reviews for the 2023 (vol 17) publication for the (i) Annual Edition, on any topic in law and its related disciplines, and for the special section on Gender and the Law Contributions should be in line with the PSLR Style and Submission Guidelines.
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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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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, is proud to announce the open-access publication of volume six (2022) of the African Human Rights Yearbook and volume four of the African Court Law Report (covering case decided in 2020) both published under the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP).
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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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This message is announcing the celebration of an International Conference organized by the Pedro Arrupe Institute of Human Rights of the University of Deusto in the framework of the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI) between 7 and 9 September 2023 at the University of Deusto in Bilbao.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, welcomes the recent court order by the Equality Court holding singer Steve Hofmeyr accountable for discriminatory and queerphobic comments made on his Facebook account in April 2022.
The Gqeberha High Court, sitting as the Equality Court, ordered Hofmeyr to release an unconditional apology on his social media platforms. Hofmeyr did so soon after the case was concluded, observing as follows: ‘I regret the hurt and offence caused as a result of the comments and apologise unconditionally to members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as any other member of public that was offended by my comments.’
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, commends the National Assembly of South Africa for passing the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill (Bill) on 15 March 2023. This legislation marks a significant step towards the protection of all South Africans against hate crimes and hate speech, particularly those based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other form of discrimination.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, welcomes the recent court order by the Equality Court holding singer Steve Hofmeyr accountable for discriminatory and queerphobic comments made on his Facebook account in April 2022.
Statement on Human Rights Day: Government should take the promise to ‘leave no one behind’ seriously
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21 March 2023
The theme of 2023 Human Rights Day is ‘Leave no one behind’. This phrase is a pillar of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights that discrimination has a legal dimension, but emphasises that exclusion and maginalisation is also material. It is in the first place people who live in conditions of poverty who are ‘left behind’ in South Africa. Unemployment is sky high, especially among the youth. Almost 40 percent of South Africans experience some form of food insecurity.
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On Friday 10 March 2023, the Centre for Human Rights (Centre) hosted its annual official Academic Opening Ceremony to welcome and introduce the new Master’s students from five of the academic programmes offered by the Centre, as well as newly registered doctoral candidates. This is an annual event which celebrates future African leaders in the area of human rights, democracy and related fields. This year, the Centre celebrated 20 years of one of these Master’s programmes, the Trade an Investment Law in Africa (TILA) programme.
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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 Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition together with the Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition invite mooters from across the world to join in an a workshop for memorial writing skills. The panel of memorial markers will share their excerpt advise and tips on acing the memorial round of any moot competition.
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Centre for Human Rights, doctoral candidate Brian Kibirango is the latest recipient of the Christof Heyns memorial scholarship. The Christof Heyns Human Rights Scholarship was instituted in memory of renowned human rights scholar, Christof Heyns, who was a professor of human rights law at the University of Pretoria until his untimely death in March 2021.
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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 Advanced Human Rights Courses (AHRC) and the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit at the Centre for Human Rights (the ‘Centre’), University of Pretoria (UP) recently hosted the 2023 edition of the annual short course on Sexual Minority Rights in Africa. The course was presented through both virtual and physical sessions from 20 to 24 February 2023 and was attended by 70 participants with 15 presenters from both across and outside Africa. Participants included LLM/MPhil students in both the Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa (HRDA) and the Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Africa (SRRA) Masters programmes in the Faculty of Law, UP. Other participants included researchers, academics, judicial officers, government workers, officials of selected National Human Rights Institutions, and members of civil society.
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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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In pursuit of the ideals of excellence and diversity, the University of Pretoria wishes to invite applications for the Senior Lecture vacancy. The University of Pretoria's commitment to quality makes us one of the top research Universities in the country and gives us a competitive advantage in international science and technology development.
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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, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (Centre) condemns the racist remarks made by the President of Tunisia and the arbitrary arrest, detention and forced eviction of African migrants in Tunisia.
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In pursuit of the ideals of excellence and diversity, the University of Pretoria wishes to invite applications for the Associate Professor/Professor vacancy. The University of Pretoria's commitment to quality makes us one of the top research Universities in the country and gives us a competitive advantage in international science and technology development.
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The Pretoria Student Law Review (PSLR) is now accepting original research articles, and the traditional reviews published in the past, for the 2023 (Volume 17) edition on any topic in law and its related disciplines.
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The African Moot and the Migration Unit of the Centre for Human Rights held a movie screening titled ‘African Moot’ on 15 February 2023 for CSOs in South Africa dealing with refugees and migrants.
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INVITATION FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
We invite abstracts for articles and case discussions proposing to make ground-breaking academic-style contributions to the human rights discourse in Africa. Although the contributions are expected to take a continental (African) approach to the issues they cover, country-specific or sub-regional level case studies that relate to the African regional human rights system will also be considered. In so far as methodology is concerned, contributions adopting multidisciplinary and empirical approaches are highly encouraged.
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On February 6, 2023, Amhara Association of America (AAA) and Centre for Human Rights, Pretoria University (CHR) submitted a complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights against the Ethiopian Government. The complaint is made on behalf of ethnic Amhara residents in West Wollega, East Wollega, Horo Guduru Wollega, Qelem Wollega and West Shewa Zones of the Oromia Region who faced mass atrocities at the hand of state and non-state armed forces and militias. The complaint argues that the Ethiopian state bears responsibility for human rights violations committed by its agents, including the Oromia Special Forces (OSF), such as extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, property destruction, communication blackouts, violent dispersal of peaceful protests, and displacement. It is also submitted that the lack of adequate efforts on the part of the state to halt the atrocities and human rights violations committed by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) or punish those responsible for violating the obligation of states to ensure the rights and freedoms of all individuals within its jurisdictions is not respected, thereby depriving the Amhara residents of several substantive rights in the African Charter.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, calls for applications for full-time doctoral scholarships in the field of sexual and/ or reproductive rights in the African region.
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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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The Litigation and Implementation Unit of the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, is recruiting for a part-time position of Student Project Associate under an eight month contract beginning on 1 April 2023 and ending on 30 November 2023, renewable based on satisfactory performance and continued funding.
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On 1 and 2 February 2023, the Office of the President of the Republic of South Africa (the Presidency) in partnership with the Women’s Rights Unit, Centre for Human Rights held a workshop to review commissioned reports from 25 African countries on discriminatory laws related to violence against women on the African continent (VAW).
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On 1 February 2023, the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) entered into an agreement with the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) for the implementation of a project aimed at strengthening the protection of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) in Africa. The duration of the agreement is three years, commencing in February 2023 and runs until January 2026.
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The Centre for Human Rights cordially invites you to Thulani Maseko`s memorial service under the theme: "Defending Civic Space and Protecting Human Rights Defenders in Southern Africa".
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Venue: Law Auditorium, Room 1-54 of the Law Building. University of Pretoria
Date: 3 February 2023 14:30 – 16:45 (SAST)
RSVP: inmemoryofthulani@gmail.com before 3 February 2023
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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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Thulani Rudolf Maseko (1 March 1970 - 21 January 2023)
It is with great shock and profound sadness that we at the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, learnt about the assassination of Thulani Maseko on 21 January 2023. He was shot dead in front of his family in his home south of Mbabane, Eswatini, in what can only be described as a targeted killing.
Our deepest sympathy goes to his wife and family in this difficult and traumatising time.
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As this eventful year winds down, the Centre gladly shares with you some of the highlights in our activities over the last two months. We have been busy! The annual Human Rights Graduation took place on 9 December. Its highlight was the award of the Vera Chirwa Award to two alumni who are leaving deep footprints in the human rights landscape in Africa: Namibian Minister of Justice Yvonne Dausab, and Malawian High Court Judge Redson Kapindu. The Centre organised two advanced short courses; hosted numerous capacity-building events, held two pan-African conferences and launched a number of publications.
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The Centre for Human Rights (CHR), Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (UP) congratulates Dr Nkatha Murungi on her appointment as Associated Professor in the CHR and Faculty of Law at UP, effective from 1 January 2023.
Dr Nkatha is currently serving as Assistant Director (Programmes) of the CHR. She has specific responsibility for the Centre’s project and programmes on women’s rights, sexual and reproductive rights, children’s rights and the rights of persons with disabilities. She is also co-editor of the African Disability Rights Yearbook.
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The Centre for Human Rights (Centre), Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, selected Namibian Minister of Justice, Honourable Yvonne Dausab, and Malawian human rights advocate and High Court Judge, Justice Redson Edward Kapindu, to jointly receive the 2022 Vera Chirwa Award. This Award, instituted in 2006, acknowledges and honours an alumnus or alumna of the LLM/MPhil in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa (HRDA) who best embodies the spirit of the programme in their subsequent career by positively contributing to human rights or by promoting consolidation of democratic values in Africa.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (CHR) commemorated World Human Rights Day by hosting its annual Graduation ceremony on 9 December 2022. This annual event saw the CHR graduate its LLM/MPhil in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa (HRDA) class of 2022 at a time when the institution of democracy is under pressure throughout the continent of Africa and globally. This year’s Graduation also marked the first in-person ceremony at the main campus of UP since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the ceremony, the Vera Chirwa Award was also annoounced and handed to two graduates of the HRDA programme, Namibian Minister of Justice Honorable Yvonne Dausab and Malawian High Court Judge, Justice Redson Kapindu.
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25-29 April 2023, University of Ghana, Accra
The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) seeks to provide Africa-based early career researchers working on the themes of peace, democracy and climate change on the continent with the space and intellectual community to transform a draft paper into a publishable journal piece. The 5-day writing workshop is designed to provide early career scholars with the opportunity to contribute to knowledge production in one of the three fields of research focus for this workshop: peace, democracy and climate change.
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6 December 2022
The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, and the Southern African Nationality Network (SANN) call on African states, including members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to endorse the adoption of the Draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Specific Aspects of the Right to a Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa (Draft Protocol) and to subsequently ratify it. We also call on the Government of South Africa to take leadership in urging other SADC members to endorse the adoption of the Draft Protocol and to subsequently ratify it.
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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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From 21 to 25 November 2022, the Centre for Human Rights organised a 5-day intensive course on the protection of forcibly displaced persons in Africa. The course presented a human-rights perspective on the protection of forcibly displaced persons in Africa. It enhanced the knowledge of participants on fundamental legal concepts and principles related to international law on forced displacement, critical challenges in the interpretation and application of key treaty provisions, and rights-based approaches to addressing challenges and ensuring durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa.
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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 (Centre), Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, is pleased to share the news of the appointment of its alumna, Muleya Mwananyanda, as the Director, Influence and Partnerships for UNAIDS.
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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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Introduction
A regional instrument that addressed the protection of displaced persons out of state borders was established in 1969 as a result of the dynamics of displacement on the continent in the period following decolonisation but no instrument was developed to address the protection of persons displaced within state borders.[1] In order to address this gap and provide internally displaced persons(IDPs) in Africa with adequate protection and assistance as a result of the detrimental effect of internal displacement on peace, security, environment and development of African countries, the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention) was established.[2] The Kampala Convention was adopted on 23 October 2009 and entered into force on 6 December 2012. Following its adoption as a legally binding regional instrument, the Kampala Convention has become a significant framework. Excluding the preamble, the Kampala Convention has 23 articles. The preamble describes the principles upon which the Convention is established. It adopts in context international frameworks such as the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and applies it to the situation of internal displacement in Africa.[3] Setting forth the legal basis within the framework of the African Union and the United Nations, the preamble presents the intention of the Kampala Convention. The Kampala Convention aims to prevent internal displacement, protect IDPs, and provide durable solutions to internal displacement in the Africa.[4]
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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 African Disability Rights Yearbook (ADRY) is calling for papers for consideration for publication in Section A of the ADRY in 2023. The ADRY publishes once a year with a focus on disability rights issues and developments of contemporary concern to persons with disabilities on the African continent. The ADRY is published by the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP) as a peer-reviewed open-access journal that is accredited by South African Department of Higher Education and Training.
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The African Journal of Privacy and Data Protection is domiciled in the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos Akoka-Lagos, Nigeria but will be published once a year by the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP) South Africa. The Journal will be peer reviewed and is open access. The first issue of the Journal is expected to be published in August/September of 2023. The Editorial Board of the Journal hereby invites Articles, Book/Reviews and Notes/Comments on various aspects of privacy and data protection generally and perspectives on and from the continent of Africa in particular.
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On 10 November 2022, the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP) based at the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (Centre), and the School of Law, University of Kabarak, hosted a hybrid book launch for Exploring African approaches to international law: Essays in honour of Kéba Mbaye edited by Frans Viljoen, Humphrey Sipalla and Foluso Adegalu.
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A Centre for Human Rights alumna, Grace Wakio Kakai, has been appointed the new Deputy Registrar of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (African Court). She was sworn in on 7 November 2022, as the Court started its 67th Ordinary Session in Arusha, Tanzania.
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On 3 November 2022, Professor Charles Manga Fombad, the Director of Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA), was awarded the University of Pretoria’s (UP) prestigious Chancellor’s award for research, for the year 2021. Prof Fombad is a National Research Foundation (NFR) B1-rated scholar and a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSA).
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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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In order to develop the knowledge and expertise of lawyers and legal organisations in the region on statelessness and migration in general and in the context of Southern Africa, to equip legal practitioners with skills and tools to identify people affected by statelessness, and to develop practical legal interventions to resolve statelessness, Lawyers for Human Rights (South Africa) in partnership with the Centre for Human Rights and the Centre for Child Law (South Africa) held a hybrid legal training on statelessness and migration for paralegals, candidate attorneys and junior attorneys in Southern Africa on 24 – 26 October 2022 at the University of Pretoria.
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The Pretoria University Law Press (PULP), based at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, invites you to the hybrid book launch of Exploring African approaches to international law: Essays in honour of Kéba Mbaye, edited by Frans Viljoen, Humphrey Sipalla and Foluso Adegalu. This launch is co-hosted by the Centre and the Kabarak School of Law.
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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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Applications are invited for the award of the first Christof Heyns Human Rights Scholarship. Applications are open to current or prospective doctoral candidates studying towards a doctoral degree in human rights at the University of Pretoria. The Scholarship is for study in 2023.
Download Call for Applications
CLOSING DATE: The last day for applying is 28 November 2022.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, on 28 October 2022 held a capacity-building workshop for South African civil society organizations (CSOs) in Pretoria. The capacity-building workshop was aimed at equipping South African CSOs with limited or no interaction with the African human rights system with capacity to be able to engage with that system.
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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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Ethnicity and Constitutionalism in Africa
The Organisers of the Stellenbosch Annual Seminar on Constitutionalism in Africa (SASCA) are pleased to announce the call for papers for the Tenth anniversary of the Stellenbosch Annual Seminar on Constitutionalism in Africa (SASCA 2023), which will be held in Stellenbosch (South Africa) from Tuesday 19 September to Friday 22 September 2023. SASCA 2023 will be jointly organised by the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA) of the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, the UWC Chair in Constitutional Design for Divided Societies, the South African Research Chair in Multilevel Government, Law and Development (SARChI) at the Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape, and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Rule of law Programme Sub-Saharan Africa (Anglophone Countries), based in Nairobi.
The theme for this seminar is “Ethnicity and constitutionalism in Africa”.
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The Director of Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, made the following statement at the 73rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Banjul, The Gambia, on 26 October 2022.
26 October 2022
Chairperson of the Commission, Commissioners, and welcoming in particular the newly inaugurated Commissioner; dear fellow delegates,
Centre congratulates Commission@35
The Centre for Human Rights congratulates the African Commission on celebrating the milestone of 35 years of its existence. It was, at the time of its establishment, not a foregone conclusion that the Commission would develop into a credible, independent and progressive human rights body that promotes and protects the right of all African people. It was the energetic and innovative dedication, professionalism and attentiveness of members of the Commission, and its supporting Secretariat, that over many years solidified it as Africa’s primary human rights body. We wish the current crop of Commissioners well in continuing this proud tradition.
The Centre calls for a fact-finding mission or other engagement with authorities in Chad
Following the shooting of at least 50 Chadians protesting the postponement of elections for around two years, and reports about the suspension of political parties and the imposition of a curfew, the Centre associates itself with the grave concern expressed by others. The Centre calls on the Commission to take all possible measures to undertake a fact-finding mission to Chad, in order to ensure accountability, and to preserve human security and uphold human rights. We further call on the Commission, under article 19 of the Protocol on the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC), to formally bring to the attention of the PSC the human rights concerns, and to cooperate with the PSC to engage the Chadian authorities on the underlying causes that gave rise to the human rights violations since 20 October in Chad.
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Banjul, 25th October 2022
66 civil society organisations welcome the publication yesterday of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Commission) landmark General Comment detailing States’ obligations with regard to public services, such as education, healthcare and water. This is a major step forward to consolidate the human rights and legal framework, in a context where public services have emerged as one of the critical tools to address the climate, health, food, and inequality crises of the last years.
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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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As part of our commitment to address policy gaps and find durable solutions to internal displacement, the GENIDA Network is convening a webinar to examine the Action Agenda in light of the current state and continued increase in the number of IDPs in Africa. This webinar will hear perspectives from different stakeholders regarding the UN Secretary General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement.
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The International Development Law Unit (IDLU), Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria in partnership with the Finance for Development Lab and Pretoria University Law Press (PULP) invites you to the virtual book launch of the Portguese and French versions of COVID-19 and Sovereign Debt, edited by Daniel D. Bradlow and Magalie L. Masamba (2022)
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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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A side event during the 73rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, Equality Now and ICJ-Kenya cordially invite you to a side event to introduce the Guidelines to stakeholders on the side-lines of the 73rd Ordinary Session.
Event Information
Date: 24 October 2022
Time:13:00-14:00 GMT
Venue: International Conference Centre, Kerr Serign, The Gambia (Main Hall)
RSVP: Susan Mutambasere
Susan.mutambasere@up.ac.za
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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 Expression, Information and Digital Rights (EIDR) Unit of the Centre for Human Rights (Centre), University of Pretoria, supported by Google, hosted the first Advanced Human Rights Course on Data Protection in Africa (Course). The Course was held from 19 to 23 September 2022.
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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 this day, 1st October 2022 which has been set down by the United Nation to commemorate the International Day of Older Persons, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice joins the International Community to recognize and celebrate the enduring contribution of all older persons in Ghana, Africa and globally.
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The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, cordially invites you to a webinar series organised by the Democracy and Civic Engagement Unit on “Unconstitutional changes of governments in Africa: Emerging issues and lessons from the continent”. The webinar series pulls together experts from across the continent to interrogate current trends and challenges on democracy in Africa with a specific focus on Sudan, Eswatini and Cameroon.
Date: 13 October 2022
Time: 11:00 - 13:00
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The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, is organizing a capacity-building workshop on engagement with the African human rights system for South African civil society organisations (CSOs).
Date: 28 - 29 October 2022
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We, gathered from various parts of Africa and beyond, participants in the High-level Experts Forum on Durable Solutions to Protracted Displacement in Africa, organised by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, held on 19 September 2022 at the Future Africa Campus of the University of Pretoria;
Deeply concerned that, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), at present the number of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons in Africa is around 30 million;
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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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by Professor Daniel Bradlow
Inflation is a global problem. At the end of August, it was 8.3% in the US and 9.1% in the Euro area. It is 20.3% in Nigeria, 25% in Malawi, and over 30% in Ethiopia and Ghana.
The impact on Africa is devastating. The International Energy Agency estimates that by the end of the year 30 million more Africans will be unable to afford fuel for cooking. The World Bank estimates the number of Africans living in extreme poverty will increase from 424 million in 2019 to 463 million this year.
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Dr. Primrose E.R Kurasha is an International Law Expert who holds her professional certification from the International Court of Justice's Hague Academy of International Law. Her other professional certificates are from the University of Salzburg, Austria, the Pretoria Bar of Advocates and the Centre for Human Rights. Dr. Kurasha has also served as a board member.
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On September the 19th 2022, the Centre for Human Rights Migration Unit hosted a High-level Experts Forum on Durable Solutions to Protracted Displacement in Africa. The Forum engaged experts from various universities in Africa, the office of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and rights organisations in Africa.
