The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Aji Fatou Faal
12 November 2009
The 46th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) yesterday opened at the Sheraton Gambia Resort and Spa in Brufut.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Hon. Therese Sarr- Toupan, who deputised for the Attorney General and minister of Justice, said that the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa is the primary responsibility of the states, "because it is only when human rights are guaranteed, promoted and protected, that one could say human security has become a reality," she noted.
According to her, the protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, provides exclusive guarantees for women's rights with a combination of protection, empowerment, prohibition, punishment, violence against women and the rehabilitation of women victims. The protocol, she added also guarantees women's rights to peaceful existence and protection from the consequences of violent conflicts that threaten the well-being of women and recognizes the right of women to peace and peaceful existence.
She then urged women to act responsibly in the way and manner they execute their functions/ mandate and not to appear or to be seen to make misleading and unsubstantiated claims of alleged human rights violations or statements founded on other ulterior motives. Therese Sarr-Toupan noted that this forum of the African Commission is the right place to genuinely discuss issues of human and peoples' rights that are of concern to the continent. For his part, Bahame Tom Nyanduga, the acting chairperson of the ACHPR, said during the course of their deliberations, they will examine a number of reports and draft documents on the key human rights issues. According to him, the African Commission is mandated to interprete African Charter and make recommendations to the state parties on various legal problems for implementation.
Tom Nyanduga revealed that the conflict in the Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to cause massive violations in particular against women and children, noting that the root causes of conflict in eastern DRC must be addressed comprehensively, including the arrest and prosecution of all of those who have committed grave and massive violations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, without exception.
He commended the African states for their steadfastness stance in the Bangkok and Barcelona conferences, prior to the Copenghagan Climate Change conference. Winfred O. Lichuma, the commissioner of Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), revealed that this 46th Ordinary Session of the African Commission is taking place at the time when there are a number of challenges that are facing the continent during a period where consolidation of peace, democracy and human rights is fundamental to Africa. She said that democracy is a prerequisite for good governance, especially with the respect of civil and political liberty that is guaranteed. She mentioned that numerous elections that have taken place throughout the continent give a clear indication that Africa has started an irreversible trend towards political liberalization that is driven to the participation and the choice of the people.
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