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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 the Capacity Building Workshop on Strategic Advocacy and Litigation targeted at the promotion and protection of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons in Africa.

Date: 7 – 11 October 2019

Time: 09:00 to 16:00 (from Monday to Thursday)
Venue: Room 2-2.1, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria
Deadline: 23 August 2019
Enquires: Ayo Sogunro (Tel: +27 (12) 420 5449 / ayodele.sogunro@up.ac.za)

About the Workshop 

The LGBTI Human Rights Defenders Workshop is an annual event aimed at empowering LGBTI human rights defenders in Africa on how to conduct strategic advocacy and litigation. The fourth edition will be held from 7 to 11 October 2019 at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria in South Africa.

Background

Resolution 275 of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights calls on state parties to curb violence on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. However, despite this, violence and discrimination targeted for these groups continues to exist. Similarly, human rights defenders and activists working on LGBTI issues continue to face different threats in relation to their work
 
Against this background, the Centre for Human Rights will be conducting a five-day capacity building workshop for LGBTI human rights defenders.
 
The capacity building workshop is designed to assist activists in Africa to effectively promote and protect LGBTI rights through domestic, regional and international level advocacy and litigation.
 
The workshop is targeted at experienced activists who want to build on their capacity and develop their skill-sets. It will include a combination of expert presentations delivered by Centre for Human Rights staff as well as other experienced human rights defenders on advocacy and litigation opportunities. It will also include interactive advocacy and litigation exercises at regional and international levels.
 
The workshop seeks to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations so that they can better pursue legal challenges and advocate on behalf of LGBTI individuals at risk of or having suffered serious violations of human rights. The workshop also aims to have participants learn from each other about the challenges of filing cases at domestic courts.

Participants

The workshop will bring together activists, scholars, practitioners, advocates for law reform, and notable LGBTI individuals from across Africa to address the issues of strategic advocacy and litigation.This programme is directed at experienced human rights defenders in non-governmental organisations, with existing advocacy experience at the national level and some prior knowledge of the international human rights system.

Funding

Limited funding for travel and accommodation is available to support participants who will be selected for the workshop. Successful applicants will be notified of their selection by 30 August 2019. Due to limited funding, selected applicants will be required to take care of visa costs in their respective countries as well as airport transfer costs at ports of departure. Self-funding participants are encouraged to apply as well.

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