This week in civil society — Celebrating World Children’s Day and urning climate anxiety into hope

Communities worldwide will celebrate World Children’s Day on Wednesday, 20 November.

World Children’s Day is Unicef’s global day of action for children, by children, marking the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.

“Child rights are human rights. They are non-negotiable and universal. But in too many places today children’s rights are being misunderstood, disregarded or even denied and attacked,” Unicef said.

This year’s theme is Listen to the Future, focusing on helping children to fulfil their right to self-expression, understanding their ideas for a better world and including their priorities in our actions today.

From Monday, 18 November until Wednesday, 20 November, the Right2Protest (R2P) Project and the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) will host its annual Anti-Repression Week aimed at raising awareness and mobilising collective action against the increasing suppression of dissent in South Africa.

R2P and CALS will use the event to highlight the intersectional and systematic ways in which state and corporate entities leverage their power to intimidate and criminalise activism, particularly in mining-affected communities, higher learning institutions and broader civil society movements.

Register for the Anti-Repression Week here.

Programme

Panel discussion on “Who controls the feed?” – content moderation’s impact on civic engagement and online activism

When: Monday, 18 November, 11.30am– 12.30pm

Where: Zoom (online)



Full-day event including panel discussions on repression and its effects and the launch of the long version of the CALS’ anti-SLAPP model law.

When: Tuesday, 19 November, 9am–6pm

Where: Constitutional Hill, Old Fort, 11 Kotze St, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2017



 

Panel discussion on “Gendered threats and silent battles” – Protecting women human rights defenders in the face of targeted repression.

When: 20 November, 4.30pm–6pm

Where: The Forge, Braamfontein Ground Floor, 87 De Korte St, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2017



On Wednesday, 20 November, at 2pm, Open Secrets will host a workshop that will transform climate concerns into creative, actionable hope.

Solarpunk – Radical Hope in the Face of the Climate Crisis will feature a presentation by Shakeelah Ismail, who will delve into futuristic, eco-positive ideas and inspiring ways to change the world.

“We all feel the weight of the climate crisis, but together, we can channel that anxiety into radical, joyful hope. At this workshop, you’ll learn powerful ways to make a difference while having fun and building community,” Open Secrets said.

Venue: Bertha House, 67, 69 Main Road, Mowbray, Cape Town, 7700.

RSVP for Solarpunk here.



Also on Wednesday, 20 November at 9am, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) will host a workshop on the final rejection decisions for permits and visas by the Standing Committee on Refugee Affairs and the Refugee Appeals Authority of South Africa.

The information-sharing workshop aimed at asylum seekers and refugees seeks to unpack what a “final rejection” means and the approach and legal strategy LHR uses for these decisions.

Venue: Kutlwanong Democracy Centre, 357 Visagie Street, Pretoria



In another event on Wednesday, at 1pm, LHR’s Statelessness Unit and partners will host a webinar on mobilising civil society for nationality rights in Africa.

The webinar, which focuses on advancing the protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) on the right to nationality and the eradication of statelessness, will explore critical strategies for addressing statelessness in Africa. 

“We’ll discuss the role of civil society organisations in advocating for the ratification and implementation of the ACHPR Nationality Rights Protocol, which aims to secure nationality rights for all, especially women, children and persons with disabilities. Learn from experts, share lessons learnt and discover actionable steps to advance equality in nationality laws. This session is essential for those committed to protecting vulnerable groups and ensuring human rights for all across the continent,” LHR said.

Register for this critical discussion here.

On Friday, 22 November, at 9.30am, the African Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD Initiative), in association with the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, will host a Human Rights Defenders Consultation with Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.

Where: Pretoria, South Africa

RSVP at [email protected] to attend. DM