Priority Work Areas
Right to basic education
One of SECTION27′s priority areas is the right to basic education guaranteed by section 29 of the Constitution. Our work in this area includes research, litigation and advocacy directed towards securing vital resources such as textbooks and public school funding, and achieving safe and positive education environments conducive to effective learning and teaching. We focus particularly on the prevention of sexual violence and corporal punishment, the provision of safe and hygienic sanitation facilities, the provision of learner teacher support materials, furniture and sufficient classrooms, and the timeous payment of sufficient public school funds.
Topics in this area of work:
Right to access healthcare services
We are working for better quality and more affordable public and private health systems. This includes Tracking the National Strategic Plan. Our particular focus with regard to the NSP is on respect for and the promotion of human rights as outlined in the plan’s priority area 4, as well as the building and/or strengthening of SANAC structures to ensure good governance and accountability. We are also working on ensuring appropriate budgeting for and expenditure in relation to ARV treatment and other key interventions identified in the NSP, so that there is a sustainable uninterrupted provision of ARV treatment.
Topics in this area of work:
- Access to medicines
- Community health workers
- Emergency Medical Services and planned patient transport
- Health Market Inquiry
- Health systems strengthening
- HIV
- HIV and the law
- HIV discrimination in the public and private sectors
- Mental health services
- Migrant Health
- National Health Insurance
- National Strategic Plan on HIV, AIDS, and TB
- Sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR)
Budgeting for socio-economic rights
We work with partner organisations to advocate for human rights based budgeting.
In particular, we work to strengthen our arguments for better prioritisation of funding for health and education and greater public participation on the budgeting process across all spheres of government. Project include:
Our partners include:
Climate Justice
SECTION27 has resolved to expand the nature of our work to include the intersections between climate justice, health and education. We have joined the Climate Justice Coalition (CJC), and have agreed to work together on advocating, educating, training and mobilising around a just transition and transformative climate justice agenda. The coalition is working on the following campaigns and activities:
Democracy and Constitutionalism
Strengthening democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law is a priority for SECTION27.
Hosted in the Women’s Jail at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on 28 February and 1 March 2022, our two day civic education lecture series event featured over 30 speakers from South Africa and other parts of the world sharing ideas on how to strengthen civic movements, constitutionalism and democracy. Read more on this work here: Democracy and Constitutionalism.
Our partners include:
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