African Court on Human and People’s Rights

Please note: this is a special application committee.

Danielle Goatley, Director

Class Year: 2014

Concentration: Social Studies and/or Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Favorite Country: Austria

Favorite Food: Chocolate — anything chocolate!

Most Embarrassing MUN Memory: In my first (and only) high school conference, I walked into the wrong committee room and didn’t realize it until about halfway through the first session…

Why should delegates come to HMUN? The best delegates in the country in the best city in the country? What’s not to love?

Questions? Contact Danielle at africancourt@harvardmun.org.

Topic Area Summaries

Topic Area A: Education in Armed Combat Zones
Each year, over 28 million children are denied their right to an education because they live in armed combat zones. Opposition forces take over schools, scare away teachers, and bomb school zones, making school and learning impossible for too many of the world’s children. Without school to attend during the day, these children are more susceptible to sexual violence, explosions, and abduction, amongst other things. With few opportunities for success or personal growth, the cycle of violence continues. Further fighting becomes inevitable when children grow up in that environment and have no way out. Africa must realize that the way out of their conflicts is not by stopping education when there is conflict-it is by continuing education through times of struggle.

Topic Area B: LGBT Rights
Using the Yogyakarta Principles as a starting point, this court will focus on ending violence, criminalization, and capital punishment of individuals with non-normative gender expression and identity. Currently, homosexuality is a criminal offense in many African nations. Millions have suppressed their gender identity and gender expression because of societal norms that punish it with violence, discrimination, and even death. All individuals have the right to self-expression and this court will investigate ways this right can be actualized for all Africans.