Our work

Africa Criminal Justice Reform

ACJR engages in high quality legal and empirical research, advocacy and empowerment which supports criminal justice reform in Africa. ACJR is a project of the Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape.

Multilevel Government, Law and Development

The Institute's work on multilevel government is based on the importance of provincial and local governments throughout Africa to realise development, deepen democracy and promote peace.

Socio-Economic Rights Project

The Socio-Economic Rights Project (SERP) is one of the four programmes of the Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape.

The Children's Rights Project (CRP)

The Children’s Rights Project (CRP), headed by Prof Benyam Dawit Mezmur, undertakes research, advocacy, and technical support activities related to the formulation and implementation of law and policy in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter).

Previous projects

Applied Constitutional Studies Laboratory

Researching how constitutional law addresses global challenges of our time - climate change, AI, peace, and the resilience of constitutional democracy.

Womxn and Democracy Initiative

The project combines a focus on the realisation of women and children’s rights with promoting citizenship and participation rights. We do this through promoting evidence-based and collective civil society advocacy.