Papers by Samrawit Getaneh Damtew
African Human Rights Law Yearbook, 2019
The aim of this article is to explore the existence of an implied right to sustainable developmen... more The aim of this article is to explore the existence of an implied right to sustainable development for children under the African human rights system, and the main elements of such a right. It avers that under the African human rights system, the existing rights such as the right to health and the right to development, if viewed from the perspective of the indivisibility of rights, provides for an implied right of children to sustainable development. It submits that such a right would include elements such as the right to a clean and healthy environment, to safe drinking water, education, and a right to participate in decisions affecting them. The article makes recommendations on how states, individually and collectively, as well as regional human rights bodies, can ensure the realisation and protection of this right. It further contends that there is a need for an explicit recognition of the right to sustainable development of African children, on the basis that it is a separate right and that there are benefits from recognition of it as a stand-alone right. The article adopts a doctrinal methodology and utilises theoretical approaches to the law as an analytical framework, thereby seeking to establish a human rights framework for addressing the challenges faced by children in the context of (sustainable) development in Africa. TITRE ET RÉSUMÉ EN FRANCAIS: Le droit des enfants au développement durable dans le système africain des droits de l'homme RÉSUMÉ: Cet article vise à explorer l'existence d'un droit implicite des enfants au développement durable dans le système africain des droits de l'homme et ses principaux éléments. L'article trouve que, dans le système africain des droits de l'homme, les droits existants tels que le droit à la santé, le droit au développement, appréhendés du point de vue de l'indivisibilité des droits, prévoient un droit implicite des enfants au développement durable. Ce droit inclurait des éléments tels que le droit à un environnement propre et sain, à l'eau potable, à l'éducation et le droit de participer aux décisions qui les concernent. Cet article formule des recommandations sur la manière dont les États, individuellement et collectivement, ainsi que les mécanismes régionaux des droits de l'homme peuvent assurer la réalisation et la protection de ce droit. Il affirme en outre qu'il est nécessaire de reconnaître explicitement le droit des enfants africains au développement durable, au motif qu'il s'agit d'un droit distinct et qu'il serait avantageux de le reconnaître comme un droit
African Human Rights Law Journal, 2019
The post-2008 global land rush was mainly targeted at Africa. With its weak system of governance ... more The post-2008 global land rush was mainly targeted at Africa. With its weak system of governance and abundant arable land and water resources, Ethiopia has been and remains one of the hotspots for land-grabbing in Africa. Land-grabbing has various negative consequences for the human rights of rural communities. Due to the link between food security and land-grabbing, the right to adequate food is the human right most affected. The right to adequate food requires states to refrain from depriving people of access to natural resources that they use to feed themselves; this includes land and water. Although the right to food is progressively realised, the duty not to take retrogressive measures is immediate. As the custodian of the land under the 1995 Constitution the Ethiopian government has since directly concluded deals with investors, displaced communities, and given away land previously used by Ethiopian farmers to the new foreign lessees. Since land-grabbing mainly affects the agrarian rural community, the article analyses the phenomenon of land-grabbing against the type of agriculture practised in Ethiopia, climate change and coping mechanisms of communities, and the livelihood of pastoralists and indigenous people. It demonstrates how land-grabbing is antithetical to the right to adequate food in the context of Ethiopia.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE LAW IN AFRICA VOL 5, NO 1, 2018
The poor regulation of water resources, particularly in Africa, has affected the availability of ... more The poor regulation of water resources, particularly in Africa, has affected the availability of and accessibility to quality water. The international community has, through a soft and controversial approach, recognised the human right to water, which is generally argued to entitle everyone to sufficient, quality, accessible and affordable water for personal and commercial uses. Through a comparative approach, this article discusses the evolving concept of and states' practice relating to the human right to water in Africa. Using the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe as case studies, it examined the national regulatory frameworks for safeguarding access to quality water for both domestic and commercial use. The article further explores the challenges surrounding the legal protection and realisation of the right to water in the context of mineral resources extraction in the selected African countries. The article discovered obsolete laws and policies and weak institutional design and capacity as the major challenges in protecting the right to water in the selected countries. It therefore contends that while national regulation remains important in promoting and safeguarding the right to water, policymakers should be primarily mindful of its limitations in the face of institutional bottlenecks, implementation gaps and socioeconomic realities. Accordingly, capacity-building initiatives should aim to educate stakeholders in equitable water resources management and, generally, recognise the close link between the right to water, wellbeing and other human rights. Keywords: Access to water, African human rights system, extractive industries, environmental protection, human right to water La mauvaise réglementation sur les ressources en eau, en particulier en Afrique, a affecté la disponibilité et l'accessibilité à une eau de qualité. La communauté internationale a, à travers une approche molle controversée, reconnu le droit * MPhil (Pretoria), MSc (Tamale), BSc (Kumasi) and PhD candidate at
POLICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFRICA, 2017
Newsletter of the International Bar Association Legal Practice Division, 2013
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Papers by Samrawit Getaneh Damtew