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 betterment 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.
The situation of human rights in Africa is generally reported to be poor, and it is seen as an area of concern and epidemic according to the UN, governmental, and non-governmental observers.
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.
Reproductive rights are limited in many countries by unavailability of family planning resources and restricted access to birth control in Africa.
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
Human Rights in Africa: Timothy Longman - Kony 2012? Timothy Longman, Director of African Studies Center at Boston University, discusses the long history of human rights atrocities and struggle in Africa. From the age of slavery, through...
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.
By country/entity
North Africa
- Algeria
- Egypt
- Libya
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- Western Sahara
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Congo, Republic of the
- Djibouti
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- São Tomé and PrÃncipe
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
See also
References
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
