When Human Rights are violated in Africa...

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"...The whole of the Christian faith, as presented in Scripture, the Creeds and the Conciliar teaching of the Holy Fathers requires that we accept the interconnectedness of life. This interconnectedness is expressed in a variety of ways: participation, communion, sharing, all of the language of “in Christ,” etc. The New Testament presupposes that Christ’s humanity is our humanity. He is not simply “one of us,” or “like us.” Christ becomes one with us. He becomes precisely what we are (yet without sin). The sin He takes upon Himself is not a legal burden, or a psychological phenomenon. He takes our actual and real sin upon Himself. [...]
The saints treat this reality in the strongest possible sense. “My brother is my life,” St. Silouan says. By this, he does not mean simply that he cares strongly about his brother. He means it in its most literal sense. Not only is my own life not my own, but the life of the other is, in fact, my true life, or my true life certainly has no existence or reality apart from the life of the other..." (Fr. Stephen Freeman, from here).

Claiming Human Rights
Guide to International Procedures Available in Cases of Human Rights Violations in Africa

When Human Rights are violated in Africa...

What can you do?

 

Human rights, internationally agreed upon by the United Nations and many other organizations, are YOUR human rights.
Human rights are not texts of mercy and clemency, they are legally binding rights! When your human rights are violated, you have many opportunities to fight for your human rights through international legal mechanisms. Claim your rights and use these instruments.

This website explains all international procedures available for people living in Africa to claim their human rights. It offers many options for accessing the information: either by a list of the international instruments, article by article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, country by country or through the list of human rights topics.

LATEST NEWS REGARDING INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS

Human Rights in Africa

On December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For the first time in history, it was officially and globally stated that all human beings have the same fundamental rights, irrespective of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

In 1948, there were only four independent African states. Egypt, Ethiopia and Liberia voted in favour of adopting the Declaration, South Africa abstained. During the following decades, almost all African people successfully fought for independence. Colonialism, slavery and apartheid have become history.
Today, there are 53 member states of the United Nations in Africa. Most of them have signed and ratified many of the core UN human rights treaties. These treaties and other international instruments allow everybody to claim her or his human rights!

About this website

This website is the product of a collaboration of the German and the French Commission for UNESCO, with financial support of the Foreign Offices of France and Germany. It was launched on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2008. It is continually updated. 

Preface of the two Human Rights Ambassadors of France and Germany
Preface of the two Presidents of the National Commissions for UNESCO of Germany and France
 
Legal Instruments
Universal Declaration
Country List
List of Topics
 
Human rights in Africa (from Wikipedia)

Human rights as a legal concept is a relatively recent notion in Africa. The United Nations System, international law and the African Union have certainly all contributed to the establishment of a human rights system in Africa, which has positively and indispensably influenced the advancement of human rights and of justice. However, some of the promises made about such rights being guaranteed under global, continental, regional and national legal instruments have remained unfulfilled.^[1]
The situation of human rights in Africa is generally reported to be poor, and it is seen as an area of concern according to the UN, governmental, and non-governmental observers.
Democratic governments seem to be spreading, though are not yet the majority (National Geographic claims 13 African nations can be considered truly democratic). As well, many nations have at least nominally recognized basic human rights for all citizens, though in practice these are not always recognized, and have created reasonably independent judiciaries.^[2]
Extensive human rights abuses still occur in several parts of Africa, often under the oversight of the state. Most of such violations can be attributed to political instability, often as a 'side effect' of civil war. Notable countries with reported major violations include, but are not limited to, the Sudan, and Côte d'Ivoire. Reported violations include extrajudicial execution, mutilation, and rape.^[3]
Reproductive rights are limited in many countries by unavailability of family planning resources and restricted access to birth control in Africa.^[4][5]
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights is an international body which seeks to provide supranational monitoring and rights to citizens of Africa.

Children

Basic universal rights for children include sanitation, clean water, and basic education. However, most Sub-Saharan African countries are far from providing all of its children with these rights.^[6]

By country/entity

North Africa

• Algeria
• Egypt
• Libya
• Morocco
• Sudan
• Tunisia
• Western Sahara

Sub-Saharan Africa

• Botswana
• Cameroon
• Congo (Brazzaville)
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Niger
• Nigeria
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Uganda
• Zimbabwe

See also 

Africa List of human rights articles by country

Human rights portal Africa portal

References 

Bösl, Anton & Diescho, Joseph (Eds), Human Rights in Africa. Legal Perspectives on their Protection and Promotion, Macmillan Education Namibia 2009

Democracy and Human Rights, The UN

"Shocking War Crimes in Sierra Leone". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2015-12-13.

"Family planning". World Health Organization. 2012.

Cleland, J. G.; Ndugwa, R. P.; Zulu, E. M. (2011). "Family planning in sub-Saharan Africa: Progress or stagnation?". Bulletin of the World Health Organization 89 (2): 137–143. doi:10.2471/BLT.10.077925. PMC 3040375. PMID 21346925.

6. Dabalen, Andrew. 2014. Do African Children have an Equal Chance? World Bank Publications. Chapter 1, pp. 23

Further reading

• Bösl, Anton & Diescho, Joseph (Eds), Human Rights in Africa. Legal Perspectives on their protection and promotion; Macmillan Education Namibia 2009. ISBN 978-99916-0-956-0
• Horn, Nico and Anton Bösl (eds.) Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Namibia, Macmillan Namibia 2009. ISBN 978-99916-0-915-7
• Viljoen, Frans and Chidi Odinkalu. "The Prohibition of Torture and Ill-treatment in the African Human Rights System A HANDBOOK FOR VICTIMS AND THEIR ADVOCATES." (Archive) World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). OMCT Handbook Series Vol. 3 Series Editor: Boris Wijkström

External links

• Bösl, A and Diescho, J. (eds), Human Rights in Africa. Legal Perspectives on their protection and promotion, Macmillan Education Namibia, 2009 [1]
• U.S. State Department - Human Rights Annual Reports
  • 2007 2006 20052004

See also

Africa | Amnesty International USA
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
Carta Africana dos Direitos Humanos e dos Povos
الميثاق الأفريقي لحقوق الإنسان والشعوب
The Passion of Jesus Christ and the Passions of Africa...
Bondage, faith and spiritual revolution in the Orthodox Holy Liturgy of Holy Saturday
Grace and “the Inverted Pyramid”