Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA)

Webinar Alert!

We invite you to register for our upcoming webinar on Child Labour and Business Accountability in Africa, with a special focus on Strengthening Corporate Responsibility for the Protection of Children's Rights.

🗓 Date: 18 June 2026
🕒 Time: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM GMT (UTC+0)

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Webinar on Child Labour and Business Accountability in Africa: Strengthening corporate Responsibility for the Protection of Children’s Rights.. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email... Child labour remains one of the most pressing human rights and development challenges affecting children across Africa. Millions of children continue to engage in hazardous and exploitative labour in sectors such as agriculture, mining, domestic work, street vending, manufacturing, and other informa...

re you a refugee, asylum seeker, stateless person, person at risk of statelessness, or forcibly displaced person in the ECOWAS region whose rights have been violated?

The Pro Bono Legal Network can connect you with qualified lawyers for free legal assistance. Contact us via:

📞 +220 418 1096
📧 [email protected] | [email protected]

Please note that your information will be treated confidentially and shared only with your consent.

On 8 July 2025, the ECOWAS Court of Justice found the Government of Sierra Leone in violation of its fundamental duty to protect women and girls from female ge***al mutilation (FGM).

In Sierra Leone, FGM remains deeply entrenched as part of initiation into societies such as the Bondo, where girls are taken into the bush, instructed in customs, and subjected to cutting as a rite of passage into adulthood.

Having found Sierra Leone responsible for violations related to FGM, the Court ordered the State to take concrete corrective measures. Sierra Leone is now required to enact and implement legislation criminalising FGM, adopt measures to prevent the practice and protect women and girls from harm, and ensure effective investigations and accountability for perpetrators.

Read more: https://ihrda.org/en/litigation/

The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) has also launched its monthly newsletter, The IHRDA Dispatch, featuring highlights of our key activities, a round-up of African human rights developments, case spotlights from litigation we have undertaken, and much more.

Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://ihrda.org/en/contact-us/

The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) is pleased to welcome new faces to the organisation, bringing together a rich blend of experience, expertise, and culture.

Joining the team as Administration and Human Resources Officer is Mr. Momodou Manjang , who brings over 11 years of national and international experience in human resources management, talent acquisition, organisational development, and administration. Read more: https://ihrda.org/en/staff/momodou-manjang/

We also welcome two new legal interns: Jean-Richard Nononsi and Marin Vasseur. Jean-Richard is a second-year BCL/JD student at McGill University’s Faculty of Law, with academic backgrounds in History from both McGill University and Queen’s University. Read more: https://ihrda.org/en/staff/jean-richard-nononsi/

Marin Vasseur is a rising second-year law student at Harvard University. He previously graduated from Sciences Po Paris with a major in Political Science and a minor in Finance. Read More: https://ihrda.org/en/staff/marin-vasseur/

As the curtain falls on the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), we reflect on a week of meaningful engagement, strategic discussions, and renewed commitment to advancing human rights across Africa.

From panel discussions and statements to capacity-building initiatives and networking engagements, IHRDA was proud to contribute to critical conversations shaping the continent’s human rights landscape.

Read our 87th Ordinary Session Round-Up to explore key highlights, engagements, and reflections from the session.

87th Ordinary Session Round-Up | Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) As the curtain falls on the Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), we reflect on a week of meaningful engagement, strategic discussions, and renewed commitment to advancing human rights across Africa. From panel discussions and statements to capacity-b...

Tomorrow, IHRDA joins the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, and Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center for a webinar on civic space and electoral rights in Ethiopia ahead of the 2026 elections.

The discussion will reflect on the African Commission’s landmark decision in RFK Human Rights & IHRDA v Ethiopia and examine ongoing concerns around civic space, digital rights, electoral participation, and democratic accountability.

IHRDA Deputy Executive Director Michael Gyan Nyarko will participate as a panelist.

🗓 20 May 2026
⏰ 15:00–17:00 SAST
📍 Online

Register here:
https://www.chr.up.ac.za/latest-news/4384-webinar-invitation-civic-space-and-electoral-rights-in-ethiopia-ahead-of-the-2026-elections

Webinar Invitation: Civic Space and Electoral Rights in Ethiopia Ahead of the 2026 Elections A discussion on the African Commission's decision in Robert  F. Kennedy Human Rights & IHRDA v Ethiopia (Communication 599/16)

At , IHRDA continued raising concerns about the implementation gap in Africa’s human rights system.

Our latest newsletter spotlights Satta Lamin Banya v Sierra Leone — a landmark ECOWAS Court judgment on violence against women that remains unimplemented nearly a year later.

Justice does not end with a judgment. States must implement decisions.

📩 Subscribe to our newsletter to read the full Case Spotlight - https://ihrda.org/en/litigation/ -spotlight

Today, IHRDA is joining the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), the Gambia Bar Association, Amnesty International and partners in Banjul for a Capacity Building Workshop on Strategic Litigation and Constitutional Advocacy.

The training brings together Gambian lawyers and human rights advocates to strengthen practical skills in constitutional litigation, democratic accountability, and engagement with regional and continental human rights mechanisms, including the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

As The Gambia continues its democratic transition, strategic litigation remains a critical tool for safeguarding constitutional governance, protecting fundamental rights, and advancing the rule of law.

Through expert discussions, case studies and practical exchanges, participants will explore how legal professionals can challenge unconstitutional actions and strengthen human rights protections at national, regional and continental levels.

At the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, IHRDA has submitted an implementation report concerning Communication 801/2021 – Afekuru Animu Risasi Amitai v. The Republic of South Sudan.

The case is a powerful reminder that the implementation gap in Africa’s human rights system is not abstract — it has a profound human impact.

Despite a landmark ruling in her favour by the African Commission, Ms. Afekuru Animu Risasi Amitai remains stateless and undocumented, with no meaningful steps taken by South Sudan to implement the decision.

Non-implementation means victims continue to live without remedies, recognition, dignity, or justice.

As IHRDA continues to spotlight the implementation gap through our newly launched report, cases like Animu’s demonstrate why implementation matters. Human rights decisions cannot remain symbolic victories on paper — they must translate into real change in the lives of victims.

We are also pleased to announce the launch of Implementation Watch on our new website — a dedicated section tracking the status of implementation of human rights decisions across Africa.

Read more: https://ihrda.org/en/south-sudan-fails-to-respond-as-statelessness-victim-seeks-african-commission-intervention-at-87th-ordinary-session/

South Sudan Fails to Respond as Statelessness Victim Seeks African Commission Intervention at 87th Ordinary Session – IHRDA Banjul, The Gambia — 14th May 2026 — The Institute for Human Rights and Development inAfrica (IHRDA) today submitted a status of implementation report to the African Commission onHuman and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), highlighting the continued failure of the Republic of SouthSudan to comply with ...

Today at , IHRDA launched Making Human Rights Decisions Matter: Regional Insights and Best Practices on Implementation in Africa — a new publication examining the persistent gap between human rights judgments and actual justice for victims across Africa.

Drawing from national and regional dialogues held between 2023 and 2025, the report highlights the major barriers to implementation, including weak enforcement systems, lack of political will, institutional fragmentation, and limited public awareness. It also identifies practical recommendations and emerging good practices from across the continent.

Among the report’s key findings:
▪️ Monetary reparations are often the least implemented component of decisions
▪️ Victims are frequently left to navigate implementation processes alone
▪️ Weak coordination between government institutions delays compliance
▪️ Civil society remains central to sustaining pressure for accountability

The report calls for stronger national implementation mechanisms, better domestic enforcement of regional decisions, greater political accountability, and more victim-centred approaches to implementation.

Because human rights decisions only truly matter when they improve the lived realities of victims.

📖 Read the full publication here:https://ihrda.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/En-IHRDA-Implementation-Report.pdf