May 12, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact the social, political and economic conditions of many African countries. This position has led to numerous, and varied, normative responses by African governments, African regional institutions and external actors. Some of these responses have curtailed fundamental rights, and in many cases, have been unable to effectively address the socio-economic challenges brought about by the pandemic.
It is against this background that the Southern Africa Public Law Journal (SAPL) invites authors to submit manuscripts for a special issue that critically evaluates the national and transnational policy and legal instruments aimed at combatting the effects of the pandemic, and more importantly, the impact of such documents on the constitutional rights of African citizens. We are particularly interested in articles that address how the Covid-19 pandemic affects, or will likely affect the following:
- The right to health
- Evictions and the right to housing
- The right to protest, social and political gatherings, and the freedom of association
- The right to vote and the management of elections
- Labour rights
- Social welfare and grants
- The right of vulnerable/marginalised members of the society such as women, children, disabled persons, and the LGBTIQA+ community
- The right to privacy
- Use of force and militarization to enforce regulations
- The right to education
- The relationship between national and sub-regional/continental Covid-19 response strategies
- Indigenous knowledge interventions in combatting the pandemic
- Sub-regional and continental instruments on human rights; movement of persons; and trade and investment
- Gender based violence
- Digital rights
- And other related themes
Substantive articles on any of the above-mentioned themes should not be more than 8,000 words (including footnotes and bibliography). We also welcome commentaries, case notes, poetic/artistic expressions, and headnotes on relevant legal (including soft law instruments) developments around the thematic focus of this special issue. These should not be more than 3,000 words (including footnotes and bibliography). You can find the submission guideline for the journal here.
The deadline for submission is 30 September 2021.
Please contact Babatunde Fagbayibo fagbabo@unisa.ac.za for any enquiries relating to this call for paper.