i. Background
The absolute prohibition of torture and other forms of ill treatment, considered by the international community as a peremptory norm, breach of which constitutes a very serious human rights violation, is established in Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (African Charter). This prohibition notwithstanding, torture is still a widespread problem in most parts of the African continent. The prevalence of torture on the continent is commonly attributed to ignorance by the general public of their rights and of officials of the law and their responsibilities, lack of training and information, impunity, discrimination, dysfunctional judicial systems, lack of monitoring and advisory mechanisms, corruption and deficiencies in governance and the rule of law, amongst others.
