Activity 1 - Individual vs. Collective Rights?

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Activity Tasks

1. Consider - Are the interests of the individual, or the group, more important?
2. Read - Read and make notes from pages 53-54 of this booklet on individual vs. collective rights.
3. Discuss - Why is the present global human rights regime more concerned with individual rights?
   
4. Watch - Watch this YouTube video about collective rights and make notes on the concept.

Activity 2 - Collective Rights in Africa

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Activity Tasks

1. Examine - Explore Articles 19-24 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights from 1986. How is this similar or different to human rights as outlined in the UDHR and ICCPR?
2. Analyse - Read through this article which reviews the collective rights of the African Charter and try to answer these questions:
   1. What is the difference between the African Charter and the traditional rights documents like the ECHR?
   2. How is the unique colonial legacy reflected in the Charter, why would it be important to do this and what does it show about the importance of a regional rather than global charter?
   3. How are entire populations protected under the Charter?
   4. How does Article 21(4) promote the idea of Africa first?
   5. Why is the conception of peoples’ rights often confusing and open to misinterpretation?
   6. Although a dated example, what does the ruling on the Katanga case show about the strength of the charter in upholding the rights of peoples vs. a state?
   7. Does the Mauritania decision show the Charter is more effective as a way of protecting rights because it has a better understanding of the regional needs?
   8. What is the factors that the decision on the Legal Resources Foundation Case that determine what makes a people under the African Charter?
   9. Why are peoples’ rights arguably stronger in the African charter than in the ICCPR?
   10. What are the criticisms levelled at the Africa Commission on their interpretation of the Charter. What might this mean for the strength of the charter – does this mean that regional documents are less valuable than global ones?
3. Discuss - Are these regional rights documents like the African Charter more relevant than universal declarations? ​

Further Reading

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OBLIGATORY READING

1. Individual Rights or Group Rights? | Globalization101. (2017). Globalization101.org.

RECOMMENDED READING

1. Heywood, A. (2011), Global Politics, pp. 316-318

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

1. ​Group Rights and the Protection of Individual Autonomy. (2020, August 21). E-International Relations.

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