Historical Intersections: Africa, Canada and Empire

The histories of Canada and of other places around the globe can intersect in ways that are as fascinating as they are unexpected. I have found this to be the case in my own research on colonial African legal appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) in London and the impact of these cases on the colonial enterprise

Is West Africa Borderless? Non-State Actors in Intra-Regional Migration in the Sub-region

The inter-state borders in West Africa remain mini "iron curtains" .and "narrow gates" through which migrants traverse with pain, stress and tears. Visa requirements have been removed but migrants continue to be confronted by customs and police harassment, resUlting in considerable economic loss and humiliation. They are a major cog in the wheel of the Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) dream of borderless WestAfrica. In January 2007, the Heads ofState of the member States ofECOWAS had reached an agreement that only two checkpoints should be maintained along common borders, but up till now, the agreement is yet to be implemented. This paper will utilise multi-methods which include ethnography and case study in analysing the intricacies surrounding the borders and ineffective Protocol on Free Movement in West Africa and the effects on the non-state actors. Ghanaian and Nigerian diasporas living in Nigerian and Ghana respectively are used as the case study of the non-state actors that move back and forth within the region. The implementation of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons by the governments of the ECOWAS member States and the officials at the borders will lead to borderless WestAfrica

Mapping a research-advocacy-policy agenda on human rights and albinism: a mixed methods project

Background: Persons with albinism face challenges to their wellbeing, safety, and security, ranging from vision impairment and skin cancer to stigma and discrimination. In some regions, they also face human rights atrocities including mutilation and murder. Research on human rights and albinism is a relatively new field that has gained momentum since the United Nations appointment of an Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism. In this paper, we present the results of a mixed methods study undertaken to identify priorities for research, advocacy, and policy on albinism and human rights. Methods: The first component was a synthesis of peer-reviewed and grey literatures at the nexus of albinism, spiritual/cultural beliefs and practices, and human rights. We then conducted a priority-setting survey, informed by Delphi methods, on extant knowledge-practice gaps and research, advocacy, and policy priorities. Inclusion criteria included demonstrated expertise in the field (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, funded research), membership on national or international associations, or advocacy (civil society organizations) of more than 2 years in albinism and human rights. Thereafter, we gathered leading researchers, policy-makers, and civil society stakeholders for a Roundtable to gain consensus on these priorities. Results: Access to skin and vision care, and education were not deemed high priority for research, likely because the evidence supporting the need for these is well established. However, they were priorities for advocacy and policy: what is needed is mobilization of this evidence through advocacy and implementation of such services (policy). Other social determinants of health (rurality, poverty, and gender equality) are present as subtext in the findings, more so than priorities for research, advocacy, or policy, despite their preponderance in the lives of persons with albinism. Research was prioritized on stigma and discrimination; advocacy; and witchcraft, but with some differentiation between Global North and Global South priorities. Priorities for research, advocacy, and policy vary in keeping with the explanatory frameworks at play, including how harmful practices and witchcraft are viewed. Conclusions: The lived experience of albinism is profoundly shaped by the social determinants of health (SDOH). Threats to the security and well-being of persons with albinism should be viewed through a human rights lens that encompasses the explanatory frameworks at play

The Promise of Constitutionalism and the Challenge of Militarism: Constraints and Possibilities fo the Human Rights Movement in Nigeria

No abstract available Democracy & Development Vol.3(2) 2003: 16-3

Beyond Retribution: Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa as Universal Paradigm for Restorative Transitional Justice

This paper examines the articulation of Ubuntu as a traditional African form of justice and how it was deployed to legitimize the Transition and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), as a restorative transitional justice model within and beyond post-apartheid South Africa. Transitional justice here refers to judicial and non-judicial measures implemented to redress legacies of human rights abuses in the aftermath of conflict and repression. It seeks recognition and justice for victims while promoting peace and reconciliation. In the final analysis, it is observed that the deployment of ubuntu in both the context of the TRC and socioeconomic rights jurisprudence represents a vernacularisation process that has served to legitimize universal human rights in South Africa. It also marks a distinctive South African and African normative contribution to the discourse on human dignity and the global fulfilment of universal human rights

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Opening remarks by Natalie Hudson, Executive Director, Human Rights Center; University of Dayton Provost Darlene Weaver; Serges Alain Djoyou Kamga, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of the Free State, South Africa. Reinvigorating the Right to Development Agenda to Meet Today’s Global Challenges : Address by Bonny Ibhawoh, Expert-Rapporteur, UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to Developmen