S6 E7: Children's Rights and Climate Change in Africa

04/17/24 • 28 min

In conversation with Elsabe Boshoff, Samrawit Getaneh and Nastasia Thebaud-Bouillon-Njenga

This is a podcast series brought to you by the HRDA Alumni Task Force on Climate Justice and Rights of Future Generations in Africa, hosted under the Africa Rights Talk – Centre for Human Rights podcast. The initial aim is to produce a limited series of six podcasts that form a coherent whole, introducing some of the main challenges related to climate change and human rights in Africa. We take this opportunity to acknowledge the financial support of the European Union through the Global Campus for Human Rights.

In this podcast episode, the two speakers, Elsabe Boshoff and Samrawit Getaneh, discuss how climate change disproportionately affects children in Africa and the interlinkages between multiple systematic inequalities affecting girls and boys in their diversity. They touch on the responsibilities of African states as duty bearers to ensure children’s rights in the context of a climate changing .

Samrawit elaborates on the negative impacts of climate change due to their physical and cognitive levels of development. She highlights how children bear the brunt of the impact of anthropogenic GHC emissions. Samrawit further stresses that girls are particularly impacted by the effects of climate change, given the gender norms that affect their roles, such as helping with household chores.

Elsabe reflects on the urgency to tackle climate-related challenges in Africa based on the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that has projected that around 125 million children could be subjected to the consequences of climate change by 2030, through displacement, water scarcity and malnutrition, which all impact on the health of the child. In addition, Elsabe points out the impacts of heatwaves on pregnant women and their fetuses, which include delayed brain development in unborn children, resulting in educational attainment and work outcomes later in life.

Finally, both speakers zoom in on some recommendations such as children empowerment and more engagement from state members. Children can be empowered to share their views on climate-related issues that directly affect them. These are through child parliaments where children get the opportunity to debate on important issues on the national agenda. It is also important that African state parties engage more with the Working Group on Children’s Rights and Climate Change under the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Committee).

In this podcast episode, the two speakers, Elsabe Boshoff and Samrawit Getaneh, discuss on how climate change disproportionately affects children in Africa, and the interlinkages between multiple systematic inequalities affecting girls and boys in their diversity. They also touch on the responsibilities of African states as duty bearers with regard to ensuring the whole range of children’s human rights in the context of a changing climate.

Elsabe reflects on the urgency to tackle climate-related challenges in Africa based on the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that has projected that around 125 million children could be subjected to the consequences of climate change by 2030, through displacement, waterscarcity and malnutrition, which all impact on the health of the child. In addition, Elsabe points out the impacts of heatwaves on pregnant women and their fetuses, which include delayed brain development in unborn children, resulting in educational attainment and work outcomes later in life.

Elsabe Boshoff (HRDA Class of 2017, South Africa) is a Doctoral Fellow at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR). Her PhD research focuses on the right to development in the African human rights system, particularly in the context of the extractive industries. Prior to joining the NCHR, Elsabe has worked with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights between 2017 to 2020.

In conversation with Elsabe Boshoff, Samrawit Getaneh and Nastasia Thebaud-Bouillon-Njenga

Elsabe reflects on the urgency to tackle climate-related challenges in Africa based on the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that has projected that around 125 million children could be subjected to the consequences of climate change by 2030, through displacement, waterscarcity and malnutrition, which all impact on the health of the child. In addition, Elsabe points out the impacts of heatwaves on pregnant women and their fetuses, which include delayed brain development in unborn children, resulting in educational attainment and work outcomes later in life.

Previous Episode

S6 E6: #GreenJusticeAfricaCampaigns: An introduction to Climate Justice in Africa

In conversation with Prof Ademola Jegede and Davina Murden

In this first episode of the HRDA Alumni Task Force on Climate Justice and Rights of Future Generations in Africa podcast, Davina Murden (HRDA Class of 2021, Mauritius) welcomed Prof Ademola Jegede (HRDA Class of 2008, Nigeria) who engaged on an exploratory discussion on the concept of climate justice in the African context. While we agree that there is no universal definition of climate justice, Prof Jegede reflected on how climate justice must be dealt with under a different light in the African context, especially among marginalised communities who are the most vulnerable ones. When asked by the host whether Africa is the continent where the term ‘climate justice’ was first used, Prof Jegede replied in the negative. However, he affirmed that Africa is the continent that experiences considerable injustices with regards to climate change due to human actions and inactions. This also raises the question of fairness and equity according to Prof Jegede.

In addition, Prof Jegede reflected on the changes that non-governmental organisations working on climate justice face. These are, for example, lack of resources and capacities to engage with climate-related challenges. He also added how African leaders are sometimes reluctant to take actions on ‘climate violence’.

Another important point on which Prof Jegede engaged was the lack of education in Africa when it comes to climate justice. While he commended African universities for including climate justice in some academic programmes, Prof Jegede also noted that many Africans still do not know what climate justice is, which makes it difficult to raise awareness on the issue in Africa. In his concluding remarks, Prof Jegede stressed on the importance of educating everyone on climate justice by adopting a bottom-up approach at both an individual and community level.

Ademola Jegede is a Professor of Law in the School of Law, University of Venda, South Africa. He is also the Interim Director at the Ismail Mahomed Centre for Human and People’ Rights at the University of Venda. He has widely published on the interface of climate change on rights of vulnerable populations. In 2023, the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) appointed Professor Jegede to serve as an external expert to its Working Group on Children and Climate Change.

The Centre for Human Rights is the regional headquarters of the Global Campus Africa, which comprises 13 partner universities across Africa and forms part of the broader Global Campus of Human Rights, which is a network of over 100 universities in eight regions with the vision and mission ‘to foster new generations of human rights defenders contributing to a world in which human dignity, equality, freedom, security, sustainable development, democracy and the rule of law are realised.’ We acknowledge the financial support from the European Union through the Global Campus for Human Rights.

This conversation was recorded on 20 March 2024.

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S6:E8: Taskforce on climate change and the rights of future generations in Africa

In conversation with Zanele Fengu, Mosupatsila Nare and Samrawit Getaneh

The episode was hosted by Samrawit Getaneh (HRDA class of 2016, Ethiopia), who welcomed and engaged in a conversation with Zanele Fengu and Mosupatsila Nare (HRDA class of 2022, South Africa and Zimbabwe, respectively). The speakers highlighted that millions of Africans are displaced each year due to climate change related factors and the figures are growing by the millions each year, making the situation grave. Displacements are occurring owing to disasters including floods, droughts, windstorms and wildfires raging across the continent. Additionally, displacements are also occurring due to climate action that aims to conserve carbon sinks without using a rights based approach, thereby displacing indigenous communities from their lands. Various regional legal instruments and policy documents are key in tackling climate displacement and the various challenges that arise with it, one instrument among many is the the Kampala Convention, the first ever legally binding instrument in the protection and assistance of IDPs in Africa. On the other hand, a particularly worrying reality is the potentially devastating effects of a deficient legal system which fails to adequately address the impact of climate change; particularly the lack of consensus on the legal position of climate refugees which leaves this demographic at risk of an array of human rights violations. Hence the need to effectively implement existing laws such as the Kampala convention, but also the imperative to extend protection to climate refugees, was highlighted in the discussion. The speakers concluded by noting the interrelatedness of various challenges posed by the climate crisis and the need for an “all hands on deck” approach in using human rights law to tackle the problems of climate displaced persons.

Zanele Fengu has a keen interest in all things human rights, but particularly refugee law and climate justice. Zanele currently works as a legal researcher at Corruption Watch, the South African chapter of Transparency International. Her work focuses on land and mining rights, as well as governance and leadership. Mosupatsila Nare is a human rights lawyer. She has experience in the African Human Rights system having served at the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in 2023. Currently she works as a Programs Manager at Women’s Institute for Leadership Development, a Zimbabwean Civil Society Organisation focusing on women’s empowerment and active participation in leadership and governance processes including climate justice. Samrawit Getaneh is a Senior Child Rights Protection Officer at the African Committee. She is particularly interested in mechanisms of human rights protection, the protection of the rights of vulnerable groups and minority groups, the nexus between human rights and development as well as climate change and human rights. She is also a current PhD researcher at the University of the Western Cape.

This conversation was recorded on 16 May 2024.