THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA

FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES -

UNIT: INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMANITARIAN LAW

(BIR 302)

LECTURER: MR. MICHAEL MOKAYA

COURSE OUTLINE

PART I – INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

1. Introduction to human rights

a. Definition of human rights
b. Basic principles of human rights
c. Rationale/ justification for human rights
d. History and development of human rights
e. Key events underlying the development of international human
rights law
f. Categories of human rights
i. Civil and political rights
ii. Economic, social and cultural rights
iii. Group rights/ collective rights/ solidarity rights/ peoples’
rights
2. Mechanisms for the enforcement of human rights at the
international level
a. Birth of the present-day human rights movement: UN Charter &
Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR)
b. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), its
Optional Protocols and the Human Rights Committee
c. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(ICESCR), its Optional Protocol and the Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights

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 d. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW), its Optional Protocol and the Committee
on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
e. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), its Optional Protocols
and the Committee on the Rights of the Child
f. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), its
Optional Protocol and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities
3. Regional human rights protection mechanisms
a. Why do we have regional human rights systems?
b. African human rights system
i. African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right
ii. African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights:
protective (e.g. communications) & promotional mandates
iii. Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights on the establishment of an African Court on Human
and Peoples’ Rights
iv. Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol)
v. African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
vi. African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance
c. Europe: European Convention on Human Rights; European Court
of Human Rights
d. Inter America: American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of
Man; American Convention of Human Rights; Inter American
Commission; Inter American Court
4. Domestication of international human rights law in Kenya

PART II – INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW

5. Introduction to international humanitarian law

a. Definition
b. Rationale

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 c. History and development
6. Categories of armed conflict
a. International armed conflict
b. Non-international armed conflict
c. Other situations of violence that do not qualify as armed conflicts
7. Sources of contemporary international humanitarian law
a. Treaties
i. Hague Conventions of 1907
ii. Four Geneva Conventions of 1949
iii. Two Additional Protocols of 1977 (Protocols additional to
the 1949 Geneva Conventions)
b. Customary international humanitarian law
8. Fundamental principles of international humanitarian law
a. Humanity - The Martens clause
b. Necessity
c. Proportionality
d. The principle of distinction
1. Between civilians and combatants
2. Between civilian objects and military objectives
e. Prohibition of causing unnecessary suffering
f. Independence/fundamental distinction between ius ad bellum (on
the legality of the use of force) and ius in bello (on the
humanitarian rules to be respected in warfare)
9. Implementation of international humanitarian law
10. Interplay between international human rights and humanitarian law

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BOOK GUIDE

 International human rights: A comprehensive introduction Michael Haas

2008 (Routledge: New York)
 Human Rights and their limits Wiktor Osiatynski 2009 (Cambridge
University Press: New York)
 International human rights in context: Law, politics, morals Texts &
materials Henry J. Steiner, Philip Alston & Ryan Goodman 2007 (Oxford
University Press: Oxford)
 Social rights jurisprudence: Emerging trends in international and
comparative law Malcolm Langford (ed) 2008 (Cambridge University
Press: Cambridge) <<copy available with lecturer>>
 International human rights law in Africa Frans Viljoen 2012 (Oxford
University Press: Oxford) <<copy available with lecturer>>
 Compendium of key human rights documents of the African Union (sixth
edition) Christof Heyns & Magnus Killander (eds) 2013 (Pretoria
University Law Press: Pretoria) available at
http://www.pulp.up.ac.za/legal-compilations/compendium-of-key-
human-rights-documents-of-the-african-union-sixth- edition?
highlight=WyJjb21wZW5kaXVtIl0=
 Litigating before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights: A
practice manual Sofia Rajab-Leteipan & Mariam Kamunyu (2016)
(Equality Now: Nairobi) available at
https://www.equalitynow.org/litigation_before_achpr_manual?locale=en
 Human rights, peace and justice in Africa: A reader Christof Heyns & Karen
Stefiszyn (eds) 2006 (Pretoria University Law Press: Pretoria) available at
http://www.pulp.up.ac.za/edited-collections/human-rights-peace-and-
justice-in-africa-a-reader#
 A guide to using the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa for legal
action Equality Now 2011 available at
http://www.soawr.org/content/guide-using-protocol-rights-women-
africa-legal-action

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 The new Constitution of Kenya: Principles, government and human rights
Morris Kiwinda Mbondenyi & J Osogo Ambani 2013 (LawAfrica
Publishing Ltd: Nairobi)
 Constraints on the waging of war: An introduction to International
Humanitarian Law Frits Kalshoven & Liesbeth Zegveld 2001 (ICRC:
Geneva)
 Customary international humanitarian law Volume 1: Rules Jean-Marie
Henckaerts & Louise Doswald-Beck 2005 (Cambridge University Press:
Cambridge)
 How does law protect in war? Cases, documents and teaching materials on
contemporary practice in international humanitarian law Marco Sassoli &
Antoine A. Bouvier 2006 (ICRC: Geneva)
 Punishing violations of international humanitarian law at the national
level: A guide for common law states 2001 (ICRC: Geneva)
 Respect for international humanitarian law: Handbook for
parliamentarians 1999 (ICRC: Geneva)