CHR and Brigitte Mabandla Justice College Host Landmark SOGIESC Social Context Workshop Seminar Series

The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, Faculty of Law (The Centre), in collaboration with the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College (BMJC) of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, hosted a transformative seminar series focusing on the Equality Court and LGBTIQ+ in the Social Context from 8 to 12 July 2024. Held at the newly launched Brigitte Mabandla Justice College at 332 Johannes Ramokhoase Street, Tshwane, this series marked a significant step forward in advancing access to justice for sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in South Africa, through facilitating conversations on LGBTIQ+ persons and their lived realities.

A Milestone Collaboration

The seminar series represents the beginning of a robust partnership between BMJC and the Centre. Through a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding, both institutions are committed to co-hosting, co-fundraising and co-facilitating future training and workshops, aiming to enhance justice through South Africa's Equality Courts.

Broad Participation and Engagement

The participants, who attended the seminar series from across South Africa’s provinces, included clerks from the magistrates courts and high courts.. Each day, different cohorts engaged in a comprehensive programme designed to address issues related to Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC). The over 250 pre-evaluation forms shared by the participants underscored their desire to learn more about LGBTIQ+ persons so they are able to apply gender sensitive approaches, including the use of pronouns and the promotion of self-identification, as tools to create safer spaces in the Equality Courts system.

Programme Highlights

Throughout the course of the week, the Acting head of the Justice College, along with esteemed colleagues at the College, welcomed participants and foregrounded the engagements with support for the initiative as well as the longer term goals to create a shift in society through self-development and regular conversations for the protection and promotion of human rights in South Africa.

Facilitators and presenters included experts and activists working actively in inter-agency relations and community engagements to advance human rights and the inclusion and advancement of the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons. These colleagues came from from Centre for Sexualities AIDS and Gender (CSA&G), the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, LGBTI Ministry, Dialogues for Change, Outright International, the South African Police Service (SAPS) as well as the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) Gender Dynamix, Beyond the Margins, as well as current and former team members from the SOGIESC Unit who worked tirelessly to launch conversations with the College.

The seminar series saw active participation and enthusiasm from clerks across various courts, eager to understand South African laws addressing unfair discrimination and harassment.. A special message of support was delivered by Ms Rosanella Selebi, a representative of the European Union, emphasising the crucial relationships fostered between government, civil society, and the international diplomatic community in advancing human rights for all.

The participants appreciated the enhanced understanding of the documentation, forms and the processes for realising justice through the Equality Courts. The post-evaluation analysis revealed that over 80% of participants felt more confident engaging with sexual and gender minorities, having gained clarity on sexual orientation, gender identities, and the challenges faced by these communities in accessing justice; including the resultant hesitation to access courts.

Looking Ahead

The Centre for Human Rights looks forward to advancing the human rights of the vulnerable and marginalised in a social context where there is regression in realising the rights of many people and communities. The Centre will continue using domestic, regional, and international instruments to ensure protection of the most marginalised in collaboration with local and regional partners.

This seminar series marks the beginning of a collaborative effort to enhance access to justice for sexual and gender minorities through the South African Equality Courts. The Centre for Human Rights and BMJC are committed to continuing this vital work, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, receive fair and just treatment under the law.

Support and Acknowledgements

The seminar series was made possible through funding from the European Union, for which the Centre for Human Rights extends its sincere gratitude. The Centre also thanks the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College for their invaluable co-hosting role and acknowledges everyone who worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the project. Special thanks are extended to the CSA&G Just Leaders programme as well as the Centre for Human Rights Media Portfolio for their support. The Centre for Human Rights is grateful to be part of a community advancing the rights of sexual and gender minorities through advocacy, training and teaching..