African Court Cases

Article 26

Responsibilities of youth

Every young person shall have responsibilities towards his family and society, the State, and the international community. Youth shall have the duty to: a) Become the custodians of their own development; b) Protect and work for family life and cohesion; c) Have full respect for parents and elders and assist them anytime in cases of need in the context of positive African values; d) Partake fully in citizenship duties including voting, decision making and governance; e) Engage in peer-to-peer education to promote youth development in areas such as literacy, use of information and communication technology, HIV/AIDS prevention, violence prevention and peace building; f) Contribute to the promotion of the economic development of States Parties and Africa by placing their physical and intellectual abilities at its service; g) Espouse an honest work ethic and reject and expose corruption; h) Work towards a society free from substance abuse, violence, coercion, crime, degradation, exploitation and intimidation; i) Promote tolerance, understanding, dialogue, consultation and respect for others regardless of age, race, ethnicity, colour, gender, ability, religion, status or political affiliation; j) Defend democracy, the rule of law and all human rights and fundamental freedoms; k) Encourage a culture of voluntarism and human rights protection as well as participation in civil society activities; l) Promote patriotism towards and unity and cohesion of Africa; m) Promote, preserve and respect African traditions and cultural heritage and pass on this legacy to future generations; n) Become the vanguard of re-presenting cultural heritage in languages and in forms to which youth are able to relate; o) Protect the environment and conserve nature.
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