Resocialisation as an obligation, right and remedy under international and African regional human rights law in the fulfilment of African women's rights

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dc.contributor.advisorRudman, Annikaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMahmoudi, Anisaen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Law. Dept. of Public Law.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2023-11-07T10:29:43Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-08T15:40:17Z
dc.date.available2023-11-07T10:29:43Z
dc.date.available2024-01-08T15:40:17Z
dc.date.issued2023-12
dc.descriptionThesis (LLD)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT : Women have been considered inferior to men in all aspects of life for centuries. Such relegation has manifested in discriminatory practices, ultimately impacting women’s autonomy and freedom to choose what serves them best. In viewing women as sub-human, society has come to associate certain norms and practices as falling exclusively within the domain of men while creating a discourse that views women as incapable of and prohibited from participating in such domains. The perpetuated narrative of women as lesser than men, based on stereotypes, assumptions, biases, and other socio-cultural norms and practices, will continue to dominate societal discourse, to the detriment of women, unless a meaningful shift in societal conceptions of women occurs. Resocialisation as an obligation, right and remedy finds legitimacy in international and African regional law, instilling the necessity of modifying the underlying determinants of gender inequality. While progressive laws protecting the rights and freedoms of women exist, their utility will always remain subject to the biases, assumptions, and other limitations of those bound to uphold such rights. Similarly, the discrimination women experience at the hands of ordinary individuals in society will remain because of the normalised nature of such socio-cultural assumptions and behaviours, limiting women’s access to domains long deemed male-only. The realisation of substantive and transformative gender equality remains contingent upon adequately implementing resocialisation across society. At the international law level, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) provides a solid benchmark to analyse resocialisation on an African regional level. Moreover, African women benefit from progressive laws on the continent, providing extensive protections. Indeed, the African regional system’s legislative framework is such that it holds significant potential to spearhead resocialisation in its interpretation and application in practice amongst its regional counterparts and beyond. This research analyses resocialisation on the continent compared to resocialisation on the international level. In doing so, it looks at how the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) interprets and applies resocialisation at the international level and compares it to the interpretation and application at the African regional level. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter) provides the benchmark for resocialisation on the continent, with the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) embedding resocialisation on the continent with several of its provisions. The manner in which states and the African Commission engage with resocialisation on the continent provides glimpses into the extent to which resocialisation plays a role on the continent and the seriousness afforded to its implementation. In analysing the state reports and Concluding Observations as well as decisions of the courts, it becomes clear that an adequate understanding and application of resocialisation on the continent is lacking and in need of enhancement. Notwithstanding the recognised challenges that come with the implementation of resocialisation, the law mandates states to modify the underlying socio-cultural norms underpinning discrimination. The triple approach to resocialisation – as an obligation, right and remedy – ensures that modification is not viewed singularly as an obligation on states but as a right owed to women and a remedy available where cases of the violation of rights are heard.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Vroue word eeue lank as minderwaardig aan mans in alle aspekte van die lewe beskou. Sulke degradasie het gemanifesteer in diskriminerende praktyke, wat uiteindelik vroue se outonomie en vryheid beïnvloed het om te kies wat hulle die beste dien. Deur vroue as sub-mens te beskou, het die samelewing sekere norme en praktyke begin assosieer wat as uitsluitlik binne die gebied van mans val, terwyl dit ’n diskoers skep wat vroue as onbekwaam beskou en verbied om aan sulke gebiede deel te neem. Die voortdurende narratief dat vroue as die mindere van mans is, gebaseer op stereotipes, aannames, vooroordele en ander sosio-kulturele norme en praktyke, sal voortgaan om die samelewingsdiskoers te oorheers, tot nadeel van vroue, tensy ’n betekenisvolle verskuiwing in die gemeenskapsopvattings van vroue plaasvind. Hersosialisering as ’n verpligting, reg en remedie vind legitimiteit in internasionale en Afrika-streekreg, wat die noodsaaklikheid inbring om die onderliggende determinante vir geslagsongelykheid te wysig. Terwyl progressiewe wette bestaan wat die regte en vryhede van vroue beskerm, sal hul nut altyd onderhewig bly aan die vooroordele, aannames en ander sodanige beperkings van diegene wat verplig is om sulke regte te handhaaf. Net so sal die diskriminasie wat vroue ervaar in die hande van gewone individue in die samelewing voortduur as gevolg van die genormaliseerde aard van sulke sosio-kulturele aannames en gedrag, wat vroue se toegang beperk tot gebiede wat lank as slegs vir mans beskou word. Die verwesenliking van substantiewe en transformerende geslagsgelykheid bly afhanklik van die voldoende implementering van hersosialisering regoor die samelewing. Op die vlak van internasionale reg bied die Konvensie vir die Uitwissing van alle Vorms van Diskriminasie teen Vroue (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, afgekort as CEDAW) ’n stewige maatstaf van waaruit hersosialisering op ’n Afrika-streeksvlak ontleed kan word. Vroue in Afrika het die voordeel van progressiewe wette op die vasteland wat uitgebreide beskerming bied. Inderdaad, die Afrika-streekstelsel se wetgewende raamwerk, in die interpretasie en toepassing daarvan in die praktyk onder sy streeks-eweknieë en verder, is sodanig dat dit aansienlike potensiaal inhou om die hersosialisering aan die spits te sit. Hierdie navorsing ontleed hersosialisering op die vasteland in vergelyking met hersosialisering op die internasionale vlak. Sodoende word gekyk na die wyse waarop die Komitee vir die Uitskakeling van Diskriminasie teen Vroue (CEDAW-komitee) hersosialisering op internasionale vlak interpreteer en toepas en dit vergelyk met die interpretasie en toepassing op die Afrika-streeksvlak. Die Afrika-handves vir Mense- en Volkeregte (Afrika-handves) verskaf die maatstaf vir hersosialisering op die vasteland, met die Protokol tot die Afrika-handves vir Mense- en Volkeregte oor die Regte van Vroue in Afrika (Maputo-protokol) wat hersosialisering op die vasteland met verskeie van sy bepalings vaslê. Die wyse waarop state en die Afrika-kommissie met hersosialisering op die vasteland betrokke raak, gee ’n blik op die mate waarin hersosialisering ’n rol op die vasteland speel en die erns wat aan die implementering daarvan verleen word. In die ontleding van die staatsverslae en slotopmerkings sowel as beslissings van die howe, word dit duidelik dat ’n voldoende begrip en toepassing van hersosialisering op die vasteland ontbreek en verbeter moet word. Nieteenstaande die erkende uitdagings wat met die implementering van hersosialisering gepaard gaan, word state deur die wet gemagtig om die onderliggende sosio-kulturele norme wat diskriminasie onderlê, te wysig. Die driedubbele benadering tot hersosialisering – as ’n verpligting, reg en remedie – verseker dat wysiging nie alleen as ’n verpligting op state beskou word nie, maar as ’n reg wat aan vroue verskuldig is en ʼn beskikbare remedie waar gevalle van die skending van regte aangehoor word.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctoralen_ZA
dc.format.extent[xvii], 329 pagesen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/128915
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subjectMaputo Protocolen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshWomen's rights -- Africaen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshHuman rights -- Africaen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshWomen -- Africa -- Social conditionsen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshEquality -- Africaen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshAfrican Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (1981 June 27)en_ZA
dc.subject.lcshInternational law and human rightsen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshWomen -- Legal status, laws, etc. en_ZA
dc.subject.lcshConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979 December 18)en_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTD
dc.titleResocialisation as an obligation, right and remedy under international and African regional human rights law in the fulfilment of African women's rightsen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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