Struggles and Triumphs: A close look at sexual and gender minority rights in Benin
Posted: 28 November, 2023 Filed under: Lakshita Kanhiya | Tags: Benin, bodily harm, discrimination, Freedom House Report, fundamental rights, gender minorities, harassment, human rights, national unity, non-discrimination, same-sex relations, sexual and gender minority rights, sexual assault, social stigma, violence, Working Group on Benin’s Universal Periodic Review Leave a comment
Author: Lakshita Kanhiya
Human Rights Advocate
The Republic of Benin has long been considered a beacon of democracy in West Africa.[1] However, between 2016 to 2021, the country witnessed a concerning regression in human rights, as noted in the Freedom House Report of 2021.[2] Benin transitioned from a ‘free state’ to a ‘partly free state’ during this period, in terms of its democratic credentials. Despite this regression, Benin has taken significant strides in protecting the rights of sexual and gender minorities,[3] marking a notable contrast to its neighbouring countries namely Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria.
The opposite sex for the intersex person; assumption of binary in Kenya’s Constitution
Posted: 13 October, 2023 Filed under: Esther-Blessing Nasimiyu | Tags: binary assumption, Constitution of Kenya, equality, inclusion, intersex, intersex persons, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, non-discrimination, opposite sex, protection of minorities, right to marry, same-sex marriages, sexual minorities 1 Comment
Author: Esther-Blessing Nasimiyu
Student, Kabarak Law School
The 2010 Constitution of Kenya is notable for recognising the family system through the provision of the right to marry in article 45(2).[1] For ease of reference, article 45(2) provides that every adult has the right to marry a person of the opposite sex, based on the free consent of parties. The sub-article’s phrasing breeds a significant complication due to the insertion of the term ‘opposite sex’. This is a blatant disregard of the existence of Kenyan adults who cannot conform to either gender due to being intersex.
The place of liberal feminism in the struggle for gender equality in Kenya.
Posted: 8 July, 2022 Filed under: Davis Thuranira | Tags: affirmative actions, Bill of Rights, equal participation, feminism, gender discrimination, gender equality, gender inequality, Gender Representation in the National Assembly and the Senate, gender rule, good governance, human rights, Kenya, legal framework, liberal feminism, non-discrimination, patriarchy, Rono v Rono, toxic masculinity, transformative jurisprudence Leave a comment
Author: Davis Thuranira
Student, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Major Premise
The framers of the constitution[1] provided adequate mechanisms to counter gender discrimination and foster equality among all sexes and gender in the country. As a matter of fact, several legal provisions incline to an ideology of equality that seeks to overhaul the existing societal structure which anchors discrimination and unequal treatment of women.
Equality, non-discrimination, inclusiveness and protection of the marginalized are among the key principles featured under Article 10[2]. The provision universally applies to all persons and demands compliance by the state, including its organs, while exercising its constitutional mandate. The state is required to invoke its authority by giving effect to the two-third gender rule. Additionally, these principles and others that support gender equality are emphasized in the constitution since such are the basis for any democratic society that the constitution envisions. The applicability of these principles is mandatory, and the courts have on several occasions emphasized that the principles are not aspirational as argued by critics but realistic, practicable and binding on everyone. In the case of Rono v Rono[3], the Court of Appeal authoritatively asserted that the Constitution shields women from customary succession laws that bar women from inheriting property. The Court held that both male and female children are treated equally before the law and that discriminatory rules are invalid and unconstitutional to the extent that it treats women as inferiors to men. Read the rest of this entry »
People with mental disabilities ALSO have the right to marry in Kenya
Posted: 28 May, 2014 Filed under: William Aseka | Tags: African Union Commission on International Law, Constitution of Kenya, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD, equality, ICCPR, ICESCR, international law, Kenya, Marriage Act, Marriage Bill, mental disabilities, non-discrimination, polygamous marriages, right to marry 3 Comments
Author: William Aseka
Human Rights Fellow at Burton Blatt Institute, Syracuse University
The Marriage Bill (now Act) 2014 has elicited different reactions from Kenyans. Some mostly women, have argued that the law will allow men to engage in polygamous marriages. Some have hailed the law as consolidating the different types of marriages into one piece of legislation. However, the people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities have completely been left out of this debate. The law clearly discriminates and expressly denies people with mental disorders from exercising their right to marry. Section 11(2)(b) of the Marriage Act 2014 provides:-
Consent is not freely given where the party who purports to give it is suffering from any mental disorder or mental disability whether permanent or temporary…
The Act further provides in section 73 that if one suffers from ‘recurrent bouts of insanity’ then the partner is allowed to have the marriage annulled. This essay seeks to argue that the Marriage Act 2014 not only violates Kenya’s obligation under international law but also violates the Constitution of Kenya 2010 Article 27(4), which proscribes discrimination based on disability.
Realisation of inclusive education for persons with disabilities at rural universities in South Africa
Posted: 10 September, 2013 Filed under: Adrian Jjuuko | Tags: apartheid, constitution, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, economic accessibility, education, human rights, inclusive education, non-discrimination, persons with disabilities, physical accessibility, rural universities, South Africa, University of Venda Leave a comment
Author: Adrian Jjuuko
Executive Director of Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF); LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa) candidate, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa
South Africa’s efforts to implement inclusive education started before the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – to which South Africa is a state party- came into force. This was owing to its legacy of apartheid, a policy of exclusion. It created different universities for both the white and black communities. White universities were comprehensive universities that prepared students for professional careers, while black or rural universities were meant to produce semi-skilled menial workers.
With the fall of apartheid, the new regime adopted a policy of inclusive education, including higher education. Higher education was recognised as a right in terms of Article 26 of the 1996 Constitution. A single system of higher education was created and White Paper 6 of 2001 was adopted as the benchmark of inclusive education at all levels. It goes beyond disabilities, race, gender and other grounds of discrimination. It is an obligation for every educational institution to implement inclusive education, and physical accessibility for persons with disabilities (PWDs) is mandatory.
However, there is a need to give special focus to rural universities on account of their history if South Africa is to fulfil its obligations under Article 24 of the CRPD. This article seeks to highlight the implementation of inclusive education for PWDs at one of the rural universities – the University of Venda.
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