The past few years have seen gradual expansion of the manufacturing industry in Ethiopia, creatin... more The past few years have seen gradual expansion of the manufacturing industry in Ethiopia, creating employment opportunity for thousands of Ethiopians. While this is a welcome development to lift the country out of poverty, there is also growing concern that the much-touted growing employment opportunity in the manufacturing sector is not matched by decent working conditions. This research aims to assess the working conditions of female factory workers by focusing on selected manufacturing industry sites. Applying a qualitative method and using the standard conditions of work set by the law as points of reference, the research examines the working conditions of female factory workers as well as their interaction with the formal legal system to vindicate their rights and advance their interests in the workplace. It has been found out female factory workers, which constitute the largest portion of the work force in the manufacturing industries, are concentrated in blue collar jobs and survive under dismal working conditions that are way below the standards set by the law. A number of factors that hinder female factory workers from demanding enforcement of their rights utilizing the law and the formal legal system were also noted. The research findings point to the need for serious of legislative and programmatic interventions to ameliorate the condition of female factory workers.
The Ethiopian Constitution guarantees a robust Bill of Rights, enshrines other normative standard... more The Ethiopian Constitution guarantees a robust Bill of Rights, enshrines other normative standards and establishes clear procedures to access constitutional justice. This combination creates the expectation that constitutional litigation should play a significant role in ensuring constitutionalism. In practice, however, the role of litigation in vindicating constitutional justice has been insignificant. This chapter discusses the necessary factors for ensuring access to constitutional justice. It also investigates the historical, social and political factors that have hindered access to constitutional justice. The chapter further identifies hindrances to access to justice in both the “demand” and “supply” side of the constitutional adjudication chain.
It is widely accepted that access to justice is a fundamental right as well as a key means to rea... more It is widely accepted that access to justice is a fundamental right as well as a key means to realize other rights and fight injustice and poverty. Casual observation regarding access to justice in Ethiopia reveals that, despite government efforts in the past years to improve the situation, it is far from being adequately realized. This chapter summarily examines the legal and policy framework regarding access to justice in Ethiopia with a view to identify gaps in policy, law and practice. It concludes by recommending that a human rights-based approach to access to justice should be considered as the way forward and there are lessons to be learnt from the international access to justice movement in this regard.
Nearly three decades have elapsed since the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultura... more Nearly three decades have elapsed since the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) has been adopted and entered into force. However, the lack of clarity in the wordings of the document coupled with the weaker terms of obligation it puts on states parties and the concomitant confusion as to the legal status of socio-economic rights have contributed to the weak record in the implementation of the rights in the real life of societies in the respective states parties to the covenant. This short article is intended to explore the possibilities of enforcing socio-economic rights by integrating them with civil and political rights which enjoy relatively good level of protection. I will argue that while the integrated approach has its own inherent limitations and cannot be the ultimate solution to the problem of non-enforcement of socioeconomic rights, it has also immense potential for the enforcement of socio-economic rights as illustrated by the work of some national, regional and international judicial and quasi-judicial organs.
The past few years have seen gradual expansion of the manufacturing industry in Ethiopia, creatin... more The past few years have seen gradual expansion of the manufacturing industry in Ethiopia, creating employment opportunity for thousands of Ethiopians. While this is a welcome development to lift the country out of poverty, there is also growing concern that the much-touted growing employment opportunity in the manufacturing sector is not matched by decent working conditions. This research aims to assess the working conditions of female factory workers by focusing on selected manufacturing industry sites. Applying a qualitative method and using the standard conditions of work set by the law as points of reference, the research examines the working conditions of female factory workers as well as their interaction with the formal legal system to vindicate their rights and advance their interests in the workplace. It has been found out female factory workers, which constitute the largest portion of the work force in the manufacturing industries, are concentrated in blue collar jobs and survive under dismal working conditions that are way below the standards set by the law. A number of factors that hinder female factory workers from demanding enforcement of their rights utilizing the law and the formal legal system were also noted. The research findings point to the need for serious of legislative and programmatic interventions to ameliorate the condition of female factory workers.
The Ethiopian Constitution guarantees a robust Bill of Rights, enshrines other normative standard... more The Ethiopian Constitution guarantees a robust Bill of Rights, enshrines other normative standards and establishes clear procedures to access constitutional justice. This combination creates the expectation that constitutional litigation should play a significant role in ensuring constitutionalism. In practice, however, the role of litigation in vindicating constitutional justice has been insignificant. This chapter discusses the necessary factors for ensuring access to constitutional justice. It also investigates the historical, social and political factors that have hindered access to constitutional justice. The chapter further identifies hindrances to access to justice in both the “demand” and “supply” side of the constitutional adjudication chain.
It is widely accepted that access to justice is a fundamental right as well as a key means to rea... more It is widely accepted that access to justice is a fundamental right as well as a key means to realize other rights and fight injustice and poverty. Casual observation regarding access to justice in Ethiopia reveals that, despite government efforts in the past years to improve the situation, it is far from being adequately realized. This chapter summarily examines the legal and policy framework regarding access to justice in Ethiopia with a view to identify gaps in policy, law and practice. It concludes by recommending that a human rights-based approach to access to justice should be considered as the way forward and there are lessons to be learnt from the international access to justice movement in this regard.
Nearly three decades have elapsed since the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultura... more Nearly three decades have elapsed since the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) has been adopted and entered into force. However, the lack of clarity in the wordings of the document coupled with the weaker terms of obligation it puts on states parties and the concomitant confusion as to the legal status of socio-economic rights have contributed to the weak record in the implementation of the rights in the real life of societies in the respective states parties to the covenant. This short article is intended to explore the possibilities of enforcing socio-economic rights by integrating them with civil and political rights which enjoy relatively good level of protection. I will argue that while the integrated approach has its own inherent limitations and cannot be the ultimate solution to the problem of non-enforcement of socioeconomic rights, it has also immense potential for the enforcement of socio-economic rights as illustrated by the work of some national, regional and international judicial and quasi-judicial organs.
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Papers by Kokebe Wolde
investigates the historical, social and political factors that have hindered access to constitutional justice. The chapter further identifies hindrances to access to justice in both the “demand” and “supply” side of the constitutional adjudication chain.
Books by Kokebe Wolde
investigates the historical, social and political factors that have hindered access to constitutional justice. The chapter further identifies hindrances to access to justice in both the “demand” and “supply” side of the constitutional adjudication chain.