Human rights in Africa
Encyclopedia
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.
The situation of human rights in Africa
is generally reported to be poor, and it is seen as an area of grave 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.
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.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
is an international body which seeks to provide supranational monitoring and rights to citizens of Africa.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
as a legal concept is a relatively recent notion in Africa. The United Nations System, international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
and the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
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.
The situation of human rights in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
is generally reported to be poor, and it is seen as an area of grave concern according to the UN, governmental, and non-governmental
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
observers.
Democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
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.
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.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights is a quasi-judicial body tasked with promoting and protecting human rights and collective rights throughout the African continent as well as interpreting the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and considering individual complaints of...
is an international body which seeks to provide supranational monitoring and rights to citizens of Africa.
North Africa
- AlgeriaHuman rights in AlgeriaSome human rights in Algeria have been suspended under the long-lasting state of emergency, which was first imposed in 1992. In response to the 2010–2011 Algerian protests, the state of emergency was lifted by the end of February 2011, but the possible effect this will have on human rights remains...
- EgyptHuman rights in EgyptThe state of human rights in Egypt remains poor due to repressive government policies and brutal government crackdowns.-Rights and liberties ratings:...
- LibyaHuman rights in LibyaThe Kingdom of Libya, from 1951 to 1969, was heavily influenced and educated by the British and American oil companies. The King was very westernized and Libya also had a constitution. The kingdom, however, was marked by a feudal regime, where Libya had a low literacy rate of 10%, a low life...
- MoroccoHuman rights in MoroccoMorocco’s human rights record is mixed. On the one hand, Morocco has made considerable improvements since the repressive Years of Lead under King Hassan II's reign , but under his modernizing son, Mohammed VI, there are still complaints about abuses of power.This article deals with Morocco and not...
- Tunisia
- Western SaharaHuman rights in Western SaharaMorocco sees Western Sahara as its Southern Provinces. Morocco considers the Polisario Front as a separatist movement given the Moroccan origins of many of its leaders, and a puppet in the hands of Algeria....
Sub-Saharan Africa
- BotswanaHuman rights in BotswanaHuman rights in Botswana are protected under the constitution. The 2009 Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State noted that in general the government of Botswana has respected the rights of its citizens.-Constitution:...
- CameroonHuman rights in CameroonHuman rights in Cameroon are addressed in the constitution. However, the 2009 Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State noted concerns in regards to election irregularities, security forces torture and arbitrary arrests.-Issues:...
- Congo (Brazzaville)
- EritreaHuman rights in EritreaHuman rights in Eritrea are viewed as poor. Eritrea is a one-party state in which national legislative elections have been repeatedly postponed, the judiciary is weak, and constitutional provisions protecting individual freedom have yet to be fully implemented. Security forces are responsible for...
- EthiopiaHuman rights in EthiopiaAccording to the U.S. Department of State's human rights report for 2004 and similar sources, the Ethiopian government's human rights "remained poor; although there were improvements, serious problems remained." The report listed numerous cases where police and security forces are said to have...
- KenyaHuman rights in KenyaHuman rights in Kenya are far better than in most of Africa, though political freedom is still curtailed.-Kenyatta :During the first post-independence presidency of Kenya, under President Jomo Kenyatta, state security forces harassed dissidents and were suspected of complicity in several murders of...
- MadagascarHuman rights in MadagascarHuman rights in Madagascar are protected under the constitution. However the extent to which such rights are reflected in practice, is subject to debate. The 2009 Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State noted concerns regarding the suspension of democratic electoral processes...
- MaliHuman rights in MaliAccording to the U.S. Department of State's annual human rights report for 2003, Mali's government generally respects the human rights of its citizens and observes relevant constitutional provisions and prohibitions According to the U.S. Department of State's annual human rights report for 2003,...
- NigerHuman rights in NigerAccording to the Republic of Niger's Constitution of 1999, most human rights, as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are upheld and protected...
- NigeriaHuman rights in NigeriaNigeria's human rights record remains poor and government officials at all levels continue to commit serious abuses.According to the U.S. Department of State, the most significant human rights problems are: extrajudicial killings and use of excessive force by security forces; impunity for abuses by...
- São Tomé and PríncipeHuman rights in São Tomé and PríncipeThe U.S. Department of State's Country Report on Human Rights Practices for São Tomé and Príncipe states that the government generally respected the human rights of its citizens, despite problems in a few areas....
- SomaliaHuman rights in SomaliaHuman rights in Somalia are extremely poor and serious human rights violations are a problem due to the unstable political situation in the country. Somalia has not had a central government since President Mohamed Siad Barre fled the country in 1991...
- South AfricaHuman rights in South AfricaHuman rights in South Africa are protected under the constitution. The 2009 Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State noted that the government generally respected the rights of the citizens, however there were concerns over the use of force by law enforcement, legal proceedings...
: generally noted for the widely-repudiated policy of Apartheid, or racial segregation, democracy and greater civil liberties have spread since the change of regime in 1994 - SudanHuman rights in SudanSome human rights organizations have documented a variety of abuses and atrocities carried out by the Sudanese government over the past several years...
- UgandaHuman rights in UgandaUganda continues to experience difficulty in advancing respect for human rights in matters concerning torture, child labor, and liberties. There are as many as thirteen 'security' organizations of the Museveni government, some directly answerable to the President and not constitutionally based and...
- ZimbabweHuman rights in ZimbabweThere are widespread reports of systematic and escalating violations of human rights in Zimbabwe under the Mugabe administration and his party, ZANU-PF....
See also
- AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
- List of human rights articles by country
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
External links
- Bösl, A and Diescho, J. (eds), Human Rights in Africa. Legal Perspectives on their protection and promotion, Macmillan Education Namibia, 2009 http://www.kas.de/proj/home/pub/8/2/year-2009/dokument_id-16347/index.html
- U.S. State Department - Human Rights Annual Reports