Discrimination and Access to Justice in Africa

Language, Vulnerability and Social Inclusion in Southern and Eastern Africa
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-94208-7
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 342 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Law, Language and Communication

There are different forms of discrimination. Among others, people can be discriminated against on the basis of their ethnic grouping, political affiliation, race, gender, age, and language. This book focuses on linguistic discrimination in Africa, acknowledging that language plays a key role in the delivery of justice and much of what transpires in justice systems deals with language use. It argues that to achieve fairness, the state has a responsibility to put in place accommodations aimed at reducing linguistic vulnerability. The collection interrogates some of the issues that are common in Africa, which is arguably one of the most linguistically diverse continents in the world, bringing together a collection of case studies from Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, and Zambia. It presents practical insights from academics, legal professionals, and social scientists. Divided into five thematic parts, the first addresses communication and linguistic challenges faced by children in the legal system. Theme 2 examines the position of witnesses with physical challenges. The third theme focuses on language as a barrier in access to justice. Theme 4 looks at the language of the court as a major barrier to the poor and the illiterate. The fifth and final theme examines the position of women in sexual assault cases. The collection will be of interest to academics, researchers, and policymakers working in the areas of law and language, human rights law, criminology, linguistics, and African Studies.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Svongoro, Paul

Kondowe, Wellman

Fachgebiete

• Rechtswissenschaften Allgemeines Verfahrens-, Zivilprozess- und Insolvenzrecht Allgemeines Prozessrecht, Kostenrecht
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Soziolinguistik
• Rechtswissenschaften Arbeitsrecht Antidiskriminierung (AGG), Gleichbehandlung
• Rechtswissenschaften Strafrecht Kriminologie, Strafverfolgung
• Rechtswissenschaften Wirtschaftsrecht Medienrecht Telekommunikationsrecht, IT-Recht, Internetrecht
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Kriminalsoziologie
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein Rechtsvergleichung
• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Kommunikationswissenschaften
• Rechtswissenschaften Strafrecht Rechtsmedizin, Forensik
• Rechtswissenschaften Öffentliches Recht Staats- und Verfassungsrecht

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Discrimination and access to Justice in Africa, by Wellman Kondowe & Paul Svongoro  THEME 1 CHILDREN IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM  Chapter 1: Child Witness Protection during Criminal Proceedings: The Law, Practice and Challenges in Zambia, by Kamo Msimuko Simfukwe  Chapter 2: Linguistic barriers to access to justice by child victims and witnesses of sexual assault in Malawi’s justice system, by Shyreen Odala Chirwa  Chapter 3: Silent victims of the law: Children and the legal system in post-colonial Zimbabwe, by Vincent Chenzi  Chapter 4: The application of language and procedural entitlements of children in detention in Malawi, by Dorothy nyaKaunda Kamanga  THEME 2 WITNESSES WITH PHYSICAL CHALLENGES  Chapter 5: Whose access to justice? Civil Procedure Rules and the Right of Access to Justice for Persons with Disability in the High Court of Malawi, by Thokozani Soko and Wellman Kondowe  Chapter 6: Intoxication, memory and credibility: Intoxicated witnesses and suspects as a vulnerable group in Zimbabwe’s justice system, by Paul Svongoro & Stanley Madonsela  Chapter 7: Vulnerability of girls with communication disorders in the Malawian criminal justice system, by Wellman Kondowe, Evans Lwara & Hajira Blamu Mitumba  Chapter 8: Communication barriers faced by deaf citizens when accessing police services in Zimbabwe, by Tawanda Matende, Patson Kufakunesu & Victor Mugari  THEME 3 LANGUAGE AS A BARRIER IN ACCESS TO JUSTICE  Chapter 9: Sign Language and the Law in Zambia: Promoting Equal Access to Justice for a Linguistic and Cultural Minority, by Gabriel Simungala & Humphrey Kapau  Chapter 10: Challenges of foreign language and migrant workers in South African Courts: A critical examination of Linguistic Justice, by Josephat Mutangadura & Tebogo J. Rakgogo  Chapter 11: Foreign language speakers, migrants and refugees in Kenyan courts, by Joyce Kasili & Lydia Anyonje  Chapter 12: Legal Status of Malawi Sign Language: Implications on Language Rights and Access to Justice for the Deaf, by Martin Zoloni & Deborah Ndalama-Mtawali  THEME 4 THE POOR AND THE ILLITERATE BEFORE THE COURTS OF LAW  Chapter 13: Legal interpretation and the dilemma of the poor and illiterate as accused and witnesses in Malawi’s courtrooms, by Jones Hamburu Mawerenga & Godwins Lwinga  Chapter 14: Access to justice by unrepresented litigants in Zimbabwe’s courtrooms, by Paul Svongoro & Ndlovu Eventhough  Chapter 15: The impact of litigants’ socio-economic status on the delivery of justice: The Plight of the Poor and Illiterate in Zimbabwe's Rural Magistrate Courts, by Josephat Mutangadura & Felistus Tafadzwa Makumbe  THEME 5 WOMEN IN SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES  Chapter 16: Rape myths in written judicial opinions from the Tanzanian Court of Appeal, by Patricia Muraguri, Emmanuel Satia & Simon Nganga  Chapter 17: Ethical journalism practise in Zvinoyera, zvinotyisa uye zvinoda kufumurwa’s coverage of allegations of abuse of women and children against Madzibaba Ishmael, by Witness Roya.

Über Autor(innen)

Wellman Kondowe is a senior lecturer in the Department of Language, Cultural and Creative Studies at Mzuzu University in Malawi.

Paul Svongoro is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Botswana and a research fellow in the Africa Languages Department of the University of South Africa.