Promoting Human Rights & Rule of Law in South Africa
Our Programmes
Disability Rights
People with disabilities constitute on average 10% of any country’s population and are often part of the most marginalised groups in society. Far too often, people with disabilities are overlooked, ignored, and abused by society. Although developmental issues affect most people in southern Africa, people with disabilities face an acute vulnerability to developmental issues and poverty. For instance, poverty is .. » Read More
LGBT/Sex Worker Rights
The LGBT and Sex Worker Rights Programme works to end discrimination and mistreatment faced by people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and sex workers throughout southern Africa. In most countries in southern Africa, activities associated with sex work as well as sex between individuals of the same-sex is criminalised. Due to these penalties and stigma against LGBTI .. » Read More
HIV/AIDS
The HIV Programme provides technical and monetary support to public and private lawyers, civil society organisations, and community-based organisations to use the law to achieve concrete policy and legal outcomes which advance and solidify the rights of those infected and affected by HIV in southern Africa. The Programme does this by intervening in or providing technical and monetary support to .. » Read More
International Criminal Justice
International criminal justice and the fight against impunity concerns all countries. African countries make up the largest number of signatories to the Rome Statute and have assumed a number of obligations in relation to the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of international crimes. SALC monitors international justice and its development and application in southern Africa and on the continent. Its objective is to encourage African .. » Read More
Media Defence/Right to Information
Freedom of expression and the right to information are essential in a functioning democracy. Unfortunately, they are both under severe threat in southern Africa. SALC's media defence and right to information programme works with local, regional and international civil society organisations and lawyers to address violations of freedom of expression and against the media, including censorship, restrictive control and regulation of .. » Read More
Prisoners' Rights
SALC strengthens the rights of prisoners in the region through training, advocacy and litigation. In addition, with local partners SALC works with international bodies such as the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) to further the rights of prisoners. Currently, the Prisoners' Rights Programme primarily works in Malawi and Zambia. .. » Read More
Regional Advocacy
The Regional Advocacy Programme works with African regional mechanisms, including the Southern Africa Development Community and the African Commission on Human and People's Rights to further human rights and rule of law in southern Africa. .. » Read More
Sexual and Reproductive Rights
The Sexual and Reproductive Rights (SRR) Programme works to ensure the protection of sexual and reproductive health rights in southern Africa. Southern Africa has a high burden of female reproductive cancers such as cervical cancer and faces excessively high maternal mortality, gender based violence and child marriage rates. Basic sexual and reproductive health services remain inaccessible or unavailable, while governments .. » Read More