Multi-Species Justice and Children’s Rights: Reinterpreting Constitutional Protections in Africa
摘要
Multi-species justice (MSJ) is a social justice concept that decentralises human beings by recognising the everyday interconnectedness of human and non-human beings. This chapter examines how multi-species justice frameworks can strengthen constitutional protections for children’s environmental rights in the context of climate change across Africa, with special attention to Zimbabwe. The chapter explores how Zimbabwe’s constitutional provisions and legal frameworks engage with multi-species justice and its implications for children’s rights to a safe environment amid escalating climate vulnerabilities. Specific case law, statutory instruments, and recent policy developments in Zimbabwe will be explored to ground the discussion in the lived realities of Zimbabwean children facing climate-induced environmental degradation. The research adopts a doctrinal approach relying on careful analysis of legal texts, judicial decisions, and secondary literature. This is complemented by a comparative review, with Zimbabwe as the central case study and other African contexts providing points of contrast. The chapter uses various constitutions in Africa, including but not limited to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Uganda, and data will be analysed through a constitutional and human rights-based analysis of the constitutional provisions. Through the reinterpretation of existing laws, the chapter aims to identify concrete legal and policy recommendations for Zimbabwe, such as the integration of multi-species perspectives into statutory protections for children and proposals for law reform to better safeguard the rights of children in the face of environmental degradation and climate change impacts.