LCP4807
ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2 2024
,LCP4807 SEMESTER II 2024
ASSIGNMENT 02
Submission Due Date: Monday, 29 April 2024 (Cut-off Time: 23h00)
The Republic of Liberte in the African continent has one of the most restrictive abortion
laws in the world. Liberte is a democratic country with the Constitution, which is a replica
of the Constitution of South Africa, 1996. Liberte has ratified UN human rights instruments
such as the UDHR, ICCPR (including its optional protocols), ICESCR, CEDAW (including
its optional Protocols). Liberte has also ratified the African Charter on Human and
Peoples’ Rights and all the other AU Conventions and Protocols including the Protocol to
the African Charter on the Rights of Women. Article 116 of the Liberte Penal Code of
1935 criminalises abortion in all circumstances, except where abortion is performed to
th
save the life of the woman. On the 13 of June 2020 Agibu, a 13-year-old girl was
repeatedly raped by a 48-year-old man. She became pregnant and wanted to terminate
the pregnancy. She was denied an abortion in three hospitals and forced to carry the
pregnancy to term. The Constitutional Court of Liberte has repeatedly in previous
judgments found that Article 116 of the Penal Code was not unconstitutional. Appalled by
the legal environment in Liberte, the African Centre for Women Justice (ACWJ), an
International Non-Governmental Organisation specialising on issues of reproductive
health, approaches you as an expert in human rights for a legal opinion. They would like
to institute legal proceedings against the Republic of Liberte before the African Court on
Human and Peoples’ Rights (The African Court). Using the African Charter on Human
and Peoples’ Rights, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights
on the Rights of Women (Women’s Protocol); the African Charter on the Rights and
Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other relevant sources and cases, write a
legal opinion for ACWJ. Among others reflect on the following:
, a) Procedural issues regarding admissibility of cases before the African Court.
b) The various rights infringed by Article 116 of the Penal Code of Liberte.
c) Remedies to be claimed.
In general- your arguments should indicate whether the action of Liberte is inconsistent
with Liberte’s international human rights obligations or not.
Instructions:
*Additional research is required for this question.
*Do not exceed 4000 words or 8 pages.
*Type on Arial, font 12 with 1.5 spacing; Footnotes to be Arial 10 with single
spacing.
**Always acknowledge sources consulted and provide a brief bibliography. Do not
plagiarize.
ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2 2024
,LCP4807 SEMESTER II 2024
ASSIGNMENT 02
Submission Due Date: Monday, 29 April 2024 (Cut-off Time: 23h00)
The Republic of Liberte in the African continent has one of the most restrictive abortion
laws in the world. Liberte is a democratic country with the Constitution, which is a replica
of the Constitution of South Africa, 1996. Liberte has ratified UN human rights instruments
such as the UDHR, ICCPR (including its optional protocols), ICESCR, CEDAW (including
its optional Protocols). Liberte has also ratified the African Charter on Human and
Peoples’ Rights and all the other AU Conventions and Protocols including the Protocol to
the African Charter on the Rights of Women. Article 116 of the Liberte Penal Code of
1935 criminalises abortion in all circumstances, except where abortion is performed to
th
save the life of the woman. On the 13 of June 2020 Agibu, a 13-year-old girl was
repeatedly raped by a 48-year-old man. She became pregnant and wanted to terminate
the pregnancy. She was denied an abortion in three hospitals and forced to carry the
pregnancy to term. The Constitutional Court of Liberte has repeatedly in previous
judgments found that Article 116 of the Penal Code was not unconstitutional. Appalled by
the legal environment in Liberte, the African Centre for Women Justice (ACWJ), an
International Non-Governmental Organisation specialising on issues of reproductive
health, approaches you as an expert in human rights for a legal opinion. They would like
to institute legal proceedings against the Republic of Liberte before the African Court on
Human and Peoples’ Rights (The African Court). Using the African Charter on Human
and Peoples’ Rights, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights
on the Rights of Women (Women’s Protocol); the African Charter on the Rights and
Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other relevant sources and cases, write a
legal opinion for ACWJ. Among others reflect on the following:
, a) Procedural issues regarding admissibility of cases before the African Court.
b) The various rights infringed by Article 116 of the Penal Code of Liberte.
c) Remedies to be claimed.
In general- your arguments should indicate whether the action of Liberte is inconsistent
with Liberte’s international human rights obligations or not.
Instructions:
*Additional research is required for this question.
*Do not exceed 4000 words or 8 pages.
*Type on Arial, font 12 with 1.5 spacing; Footnotes to be Arial 10 with single
spacing.
**Always acknowledge sources consulted and provide a brief bibliography. Do not
plagiarize.
