THE BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES 1

The fundamental human rights in African countries

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Introduction

Human rights is a term used to describe the morally accepted principles that stipulate

social interactions and operations in a given region within a legal framework. The fundamental

human rights describe the legally allowed exercises or privileges that forms the basis of human

lives. The concept of human rights has been a revolution aspect from World War II spreading

rapidly beyond the boundaries of developed countries. African nations are rich in natural

resources and cultural diversity that earn them a lot of revenue. However, chaos often arises,

leading to instability of their economies and disrupts any constructive practices on the soil. There

is an extensive range of challenges in African society that often result from a violation of

fundamental human rights. In almost every election in African communities today, there are

chances of chaos erupting with tension amongst the contestant's supporters. In some cases, the

violence leads to abuse of human rights resulting in deaths and severe damages of properties and

injuries to the natives. The government plays a vital role in reinforcing human rights, thus

ascertain conducive living environments (PLC, n.d.). Right to life, freedom from slavery, and the

right to work and education are the fundamental rights of human rights laid down in African

nations to safeguard their citizens.

Three Fundamental Rights of African Nations

The first fundamental right of human beings is the right to life. The right to life principle

stipulates that every individual has a constitutional right to live, and no one has the right to end a

life. There are numerous instances where human lives have been put to an end in unclear

circumstances. Cases of extra-judicial killings, post-election violence, and other criminal

activities are among the increased scenarios where the right to life principle has been abused.
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According to Onwuazombe (2017, p.115), the crisis in African nations arises when human rights

get violated, resulting in underdevelopment and instability of some regions. To begin with, the

government should safeguard the interests and freedoms of the citizens. However, a number of

African governments fail to protect the rights of their citizens. Some of the authorities are

involved in perpetuating injustices which see innocent lives h. Extra-judicial killings are

prominent issues in today’s African regimes. Human activists and people who correct the wrong

deeds of the regimes are assassinated, and no further investigations upon their deaths are carried

out. The right to life prevents life from being arbitrary taken away from an individual. The only

way a person can get deprived of his or her life is through the constitutional way by committing a

crime whose punishment results in death. According to the limitation of life, even when a

country wages war against another, they must consider human life, especially for the civilians.

The right to life principal is essential in maintaining an orderly community where all the

individuals are given equal chances of living unless stated else by the constitutional framework

due to the violation of other laws.

The other fundamental human right principle is founded upon the freedom from slavery.

Slavery is a term used to describe a scenario where a person is forced to undertake an activity

without wages or compensation of the event partaken. Since the evolution of humanity to a

civilized society, every person has the right to work in the agreement of the employer without

being coerced. Since independence, Africans feel that forceful application of power to make

people undertake an exercise is a norm that their constitutions should get prohibited (Kälin &

Künzli 2019, p. 68-148). A person has to commit to actions of his or her choice as far as the

person does not go against the rights of the nation. A person is entitled to freely engage in

activities that build the nation's economy or individual benefit without being forced to participate
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in the exercises. A person is only allowed to engage in a practical exercise in his or her consent.

Violation of the terms is a breach of the law and could lead to penalties subscribed to the

constitutional framework. The constitution shields citizens from four primary forms of slavery.

The first form of slavery that the government is against is sex slavery. In the above type of

slavery, an individual is secured from being trafficked to participate in sexual intercourses

against their consent. Therefore, a person can sue the person or firm that has forcefully made him

or her engage in the exercise. Secondly, child labor is a prohibited form of work as it is also

considered to be a form of slavery since the child on her or his own cannot make a sober

decision. The human principle mentioned above is essential as it protects a child against abuse,

thus offer optimum conditions for growth and education. Child labor includes hiring child

soldiers to engage in militia wars and other illicit activities like drug trafficking. Also, child sex-

trafficking is prohibited under the stipulations of freedom from slavery. The other form of

slavery is domestic servitude, where an individual from a different country gets exploited in a

cover-up way.

The third principle in the humanitarian approach in African rights and freedom is the

right to work and education. Having realized the potential for developing African nations lies

within the continent's potential to produce a massive learned population. African governments

made the right to work and education as a constitutional privilege for their citizens. In a vast

number of African nations, there is a fundamental principle that stipulates that all natives are

entitled to free and compulsory primary education (Tharoo 1990, pp.139-152). The above right is

essential as it helps to increase the literacy level of a nation’s residents. Once the residents of a

country get educated, they are capable of introducing new job opportunities in a nation, coming

up with innovations, and eventually contributing to tax revenues that enormously help upraise
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Africans' living standards. Besides, the African governments are marking considerable efforts to

support secondary education which is affordable for all if not free. Other initiatives in achieving

the right to education are creating equal opportunities for all the natives to attain university or

tertiary education irrespective of religious doctrine, tribe, or the status quo of a person. This

education equality is driven by the needs of the country to develop equally all parts of their

nation through academic enlightenment. Education provides equality in job opportunities where

all the candidates get equal opportunity to present themselves for a career attachment

opportunity. Since everyone has a right to work where the best candidate gets picked, chances of

corruption, favor, and nepotism are reduced. Integrated education is an essential aspect of

national cohesion and development as it leads to creating an understanding of the diverse

cultures, as Wagener (2018, pp. 273-280) asserts. According to statistics, integrated education

provides tolerant and creative persons as opposed to segregated schools.

Conclusion

Human rights are very critical information of a civilized community. Since the African

continent has numerous challenges, the continent requires strict adherence to the stated legal

rights. The above will help safeguard people's rights, thus making sure they live stable and

honorable lives. With the awakening of the democratic movements around the continent,

fundamental human rights that offer dignity to human living have been promoted through

legislation. Although African countries face multiple challenges, there is hope for better

prospects embodied with respect to the rule of law guided by the constitutional framework.

Freedoms and rights are vital pillars of the community in shielding crime and the proliferation of

injustices. With continuously spreading awareness, the African continent will soon uphold the
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principles described herein, thus creating a conducive environment for its future prosperity and

stability.

References

Tharoor, S., 1990. The universality of human rights and their relevance to developing countries. Nordic

journal of international law, 59(1), pp.139-152.

Kälin, W. and Künzli, J., 2019. The law of international human rights protection. Oxford University Press,

USA.

Wagener, B., 2018, June. The Role of Higher Education in Promoting the Right to Work for Persons with

Disabilities. In The Right to Work for Persons with Disabilities (pp. 273-280). Nomos

Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG.

Onwuazombe, I.I., 2017. Human rights abuse and violations in Nigeria: a case study of the oil-producing

communities in the Niger Delta region. Ann. Surv. Int'l & Comp. L., 22, p.115.

PLC, A. T. (n.d.). African Commission on human and peoples' rights Legalinstruments. African

Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. https://www.achpr.org/legalinstruments/detail?

id=49