Prof Benyam Dawit Mezmur

UNCRC/ACERWC/ Special Rapporteur on Children in Armed Conflict for ACERWC

Prof. Benyam Dawit Mezmur is an Associate Professor of Law, and Coordinator of the Children’s Rights Project at the Dullah Omar Institute (named after its founder, the first Minister of Justice of Democratic South Africa) for Constitutional Law, Governance, and Human Rights, Faculty of Law, at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa.

Professor Mezmur is a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, and served as its Chairperson from 2015-2017, and as Vice-Chairperson from 2013-2015. He continues to serve on the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), a treaty body of the African Union. He served as its Chairperson twice, from 2012-2014, and from 2015-2017, and is currently its special rapporteur on children and armed conflict in Africa.

Professor Benyam has published a number of articles on children's rights in Africa and internationally, and has lectured/served fellowships among others at the University of Antwerp (Belgium), Ghent University (Belgium), AboAkademi (Finland), Utrecht University (The Netherlands), Groningen University (The Netherlands), and Central European University (Hungary). He received his Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB) from the Addis Ababa University, a Master’s degree (LLM) from the University of Pretoria (Centre for Human Rights), South Africa, and a Doctorate in Law (LLD) from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. In early 2018, he was appointed as Deputy Dean for Post-Graduate and Research Matters of the Faculty. He worked for The African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) from 2003 to 2005 as a Legal Officer.