This volume emerged from a policy seminar organised by the Centre for Confl ict Resolution (CCR) in Cape Town, South Africa, in June 2007. The broader objective of the seminar was to explore the development of continental and regional human rights institutions in Africa. To ensure comprehensive coverage of the subject, six sub-themes were formulated.

These included:
- African Perspectives on Human and Gender Rights;
- The AU's Human Rights Institutions and the Challenges and Imperatives of a Merged African Court;
- Regional Human Rights Institutions in Africa;
- National Human Rights Institutions in Africa;
- The Role of Civil Society and Traditional Leaders in Enhancing Human Rights on the Continent; and
- The Uses and Abuses of the United States' 'War on Terror' in Africa.

This volume attempts to address three related questions on human rights in Africa:
- Why do human rights violations remain rife on the continent?
- Why has Africa been slow in responding to human rights violations?
- What is the AU doing to mitigate human rights violations?