• Download this invitation in PDF
• Download the programme in PDF

The Conference is on the theme ‘Overcoming obstacles: Towards the effective implementation of the rights of children and youth with disabilities in Africa’ and will be presented by scholars, practitioners and disability activists from all over the world, but particularly from Africa.

Date: 3 and 4 November 2015
Time: 09:00 to 17:00
Venue: Auditorium, Plant Sciences Building, Hatfield Campus, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

RSVP: Kindly confirm your attendance by Thursday 29 October 2015 by sending an email to [email protected]
Enquiries: Ms Carole Viljoen (012 420 3810 / [email protected])
GPS: 25°45’19.3”S 28°14’07.7”E

No registration fee is charged but pre-registration via RSVP is compulsory.

About the Conference
It is recognised that the cycle of disability-based disadvantages and marginalisation has differential impact depending on the specific social group with unmet human rights needs. Children and youth with disabilities share similar disability experiences with other social groups. At the same time, they also face peculiar barriers in realising human rights in both public and private settings. Disability-based disadvantages and marginalisation that are experienced as children are likely to persist when children with disabilities transition from childhood into youth. The same experience obtains when youth transition into adulthood. The CRPD recognises the cardinal importance of ensuring that all persons with disabilities, regardless of age, enjoy the same human rights. At the African regional level, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the African Youth Charter complement and reinforce the protection of rights of children and youth with disabilities.

The conference seeks to bring together scholars, researchers, practitioners, disability activists, disabled people’s organisations and policymakers from across Africa and beyond to interrogate the intersection between children and youth with disabilities and the fulfillment of their human rights in the African region.