“I shall support the law, for the law gentlemen, is the firm and solid basis of civil society, the guardian of liberty, the protection of the innocent, the terror of the guilty, and the scourge of the wicked.”- Cynthia P. Schneider (American diplomat)
Monday 5 November
Executive Director Mark Heywood will deliver the opening address at Amnesty International’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Summer Camp titled “Toward a New Constitutional Political Economy – Transition and Transformation”. This presentation will be an “ice breaker” for participants to understand the debates emerging in South Africa on ESCRs and the Constitution. The event brings together key ESCR professionals and young people/activists, and offers an intensive programme of Human Rights study in ESCR.
Community Mobiliser Sifiso Nkala is attending a meeting with Bobby Bear, an organization that works with cases of sexual abuse and minors. Sifiso hopes to forge a strong working relationship with the organisation in Durban.
Tuesday 6 November
Community Mobiliser Solanga Milambo will be attending the Limpopo Provincial AIDS Council Framework Review meeting, to be held in Polokwane. This will be the last review meeting and will finalise the AIDS Council Framework to be presented in the AIDS council meeting for approval.
Sifiso Nkala will be visiting schools in KwaZulu-Natal serviced by Bobby Bear to better understand how they work. The schools they are visiting have been identified for participation in the Sexual Violence and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights workshops in of SECTION27 2019.
Wednesday 7 November
Health Attorney Nkululeko Conco and Advocacy Officer Vuyokazi Gonyela are attending a community consultation in response to the risks of “Pre-Conception Dolutegravir (DTG) Exposure”. As this is a new regimen, stakeholders will be meeting to workshop the feasibility of the drug being used on pregnant women. This is in line with efforts to advance access to HIV medication in South Africa and will also look at the reproductive implications to women of child bearing age. The consultation will be hosted by the International AIDS Society, SA National Department of Health and PEPFAR-South Africa.
Tuesday 6 – 7 November
Health Attorney Ektaa Deochand and Legal Researcher Pamela Choga are presenting a paper titled “Striving for inclusive education in an increasingly austere budgetary climate: Scholar transport for learners with disabilities” at the Disability Rights in Africa Conference, taking place at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. They will be presenting on a panel titled “Implementation strategies on inclusive education”.
Thursday 8 November
Sifiso Nkala will be visiting an Umlazi Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) branch to support TAC in its work to monitor health services.
Education Attorney Sheniece Linderboom will attend the Amnesty International Economic Social and Cultural Rights Summer Camp where she will present a session titled; “Public interest litigation in a country with one the most progressive constitutions: The case of school sanitation”. The presentation will unpack strategies and lessons on improvement of school sanitation in South Africa.
Thursday 8 – 9 November
Vuyokazi Gonyela and Gauteng National Strategic Plan (NSP) Coordinator Xolile Sawuka will be conducting a workshop for the Gauteng NSP based civil society organizations. This is a partnership program with organizations of people living with HIV and those that work on HIV, TB and Human Rights.
The week that was
On 29 October the Constitutional Court dismissed the Department of Education’s leave to appeal in the Norms and Standards judgement stating that it bore no prospects of success. The case was launched by Equal Education in 2016 and judgement in their favour was granted on 19 July 2018.
SECTION27 intervened as amicus curiae in the matter.
Head of Communications Ntsiki Mpulo published an article on News24 titled “The private lives of politicians: When should we care?” https://www.news24.com/Columnists/GuestColumn/the-private-lives-of-politicians-when-should-we-care-20181104
Senior Researcher Thabang Pooe published an article on Ground Up titled “When the president appointed a panel without women” https://www.groundup.org.za/article/when-president-appointed-panel-without-women/
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