INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY-2025

10 December 2025

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

ERC Africa stands with the global community in commemorating International Human Rights Day and reaffirming the universal protection under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The 2025 theme, “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials”, affirms that rights are not optional ideals, they are the basic tools people need to live with dignity, equality, justice, and opportunity.

Across Africa, citizens continue to defend these essentials amid shifting political landscapes, governance crises, democratic backsliding, and widening inequalities. Human rights are the daily safeguards that ensure African societies can thrive and that development, peace, and security become attainable realities.

Human Rights and Governance in Africa: A Challenging Landscape

Across the continent, millions continue to experience restrictions on civil liberties, shrinking civic space, weak judicial systems, electoral manipulation, and corruption. These challenges cut across regions, from West Africa’s coups d’états and political instability, to East Africa’s restrictions on free expression, to Southern Africa’s governance deficits and accountability gaps. Elections which usher in democratic governance continue to be marred by violence, voter suppression, digital shutdowns, and administrative manipulation, a clear violation of human rights at the national, continental and international level.

Women’s Political Rights as a Human Right

Despite important legal reforms in many countries, women across Africa continue to face gendered political violence, unequal access to resources, and cultural barriers that hinder their participation in governance, which is an ongoing violation of women’s human rights. While countries such as Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Namibia show progress, many states still struggle to ensure safe participation for women in electoral processes and public decision-making. Violence against Women in Politics remains widespread, affecting women’s willingness to run for office, attend political meetings, or express their views freely online and offline.

A Call for Reforming the Respect for Human Rights in Elections

As countries across the continent prepare for elections in 2026 and beyond, the ERC Africa advocates for the improvement of the respect for human rights in the electoral environment through the following:

• Independent, well-resourced electoral commissions that command public trust and operate free from political interference.
• Removal of discriminatory financial, cultural, and administrative barriers that limit the political participation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
• Zero tolerance for political violence, intimidation, digital repression, and hate speech in all member states.
• Protection of civil society organisations and human rights defenders, recognising their central role in democratic processes and accountability.
• Gender-responsive governance frameworks, ensuring safer campaigning environments, equitable nomination systems, and accountability for violence against women in politics.
• Strengthening institutions, including courts, parliaments, oversight bodies, and traditional structures, to uphold justice, the rule of law and human rights.

Human Rights Are Non-Negotiable!

For Africa to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, and build peaceful, prosperous, democratic societies, human rights must remain central to governance, development planning, and continental integration.

A human-rights–respecting Africa is the foundation of the Africa we want.

In Memory…

“Citizens must never surrender their rights. Democracy depends on active, informed, and courageous participation.”- Dr Magaisa.

“Human rights are not a favour from the government. They are entitlements that must be protected for all people, regardless of who is in power.”– Dewa Mavhinga.

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