The Bill of Rights, contained in Chapter 2 of the final Constitution, guarantees all South Africans basic human rights. Everyone, for example, has a right to life, equality, human dignity and privacy. 

Some rights, however, are especially relevant to certain categories of people. Follow the links below to explore the position of women, children, workers and gays and lesbians - and see how the Constitutional Court has interpreted their rights in real cases. 

• Children's rights
• Women's rights
• Workers' rights
• Gay and lesbian rights
• Access to information 

STREET LAW

Extracts from the Street Law series 

• Contents
• Chapter 1: Introduction to South African law and the legal system
• Chapter 5: Socio-economic rights
• Chapter 6: Labour law

Street Law, a programme aimed primarily at youngsters, is designed to introduce the law and human rights to people of all levels of education - providing a practical understanding of the law, the legal system and the Constitution.
Since 1986 the programme has been making people aware of their rights and how the legal system can protect them. Street Law tells people about laws that affect them in their everyday life "on the street".

Made available courtesy of Juta Law Company, South Africa