Webinar: Sub-national governance and the plight of people working in public spaces [14 November 2023]

The reality in many African countries is that the majority of the population depend on the informal economy for survival. Informal trade includes, amongst others, the sale of fresh produce, products and/or services which occur in public spaces, such as markets and street corners. Most people engaging in income-earning activities in public spaces are often poor and vulnerable and rely on these spaces to earn a livelihood (e.g., street vendors, passenger touts, informal mini-bus operators, waste pickers). The regulation of informal trade and public spaces occurs at a sub-national level of government where legislation and policy dictate how people ought to behave and interact with the environment and within public spaces. Unfortunately, bureaucratic requirements such as obtaining permits or trading licences, and by-laws restricting trading to particular areas and hours are some of the many obstacles limiting people in realising the right to work and earn a livelihood in public spaces. Failure to abide by these requirements often result in the confiscation of goods, the termination of services and, more specifically, criminalisation and penalisation. The overall result is socio-economic exclusion.

In April 2023 Africa Criminal Justice Reform (ACJR) launched a webinar series on sub-national governance and the criminalisation of poverty and status. ACJR, in collaboration with Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) and Lawyers for Human Rights hereby cordially invites you to the final component of this series, focusing on the plight of particular marginalised groups (street traders, women, migrants and waste-pickers) working in public spaces. The aim of this webinar is to discuss the challenges they experience; and provide recommendations for improvement to local authorities.

Facilitator:

• Kristen Petersen (ACJR)

Panelists:

• Janelle Mangwanda (ACJR)

• Teresa Marchiori (WIEGO)

• Nabeelah Mia (Lawyers for Human Rights)

Following registration, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

We would like to acknowledge the Open Society Foundations and the Sigrid Rausing Trust for making this webinar possible.

REGISTER HERE