The Dullah Omar Institute is a unit of the Faculty of Law. It conducts research and advocacy and offers postgraduate programmes in Multilevel Government and Local Government, and Criminal Justice, Human Rights and Detention. It was founded as the Community Law Centre in 1990 by the late Adv. Dullah Omar.

The Institute’s work covers four major human rights areas, namely children’s rights, socio-economic rights, multilevel government and criminal justice.

The Children’s Rights Project (CRP), headed by Prof Benyam Dawit Mezmur, undertakes research, advocacy, and technical support activities related to the formulation and implementation of law and policy in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter).

Africa Criminal Justice Reform (ACJR) is headed by Associate Prof Lukas Muntingh, and the project engages in high-quality research and advocacy on criminal justice reform and human rights in Africa. The work supports targeted evidence-based advocacy and policy development promoting good governance and human rights in criminal justice systems. ACJR promotes policy, law and practice reform based on evidence.

The Multilevel Government (MLG) project is headed by Prof Tinashe Chigwata, who also serves as Deputy Director of the Dullah Omar Institute, with Prof Jaap de Visser as the National Research Chair in Multilevel Government. The project undertakes research, advocacy, consultancy, and postgraduate education on multilevel governance in Africa. Its work focuses on strengthening provincial and local government to advance development, deepen democracy, and promote peace, while supporting evidence-based policy and legal reform grounded in the rule of law.

The Socio-Economic Rights Project (SERP), headed by Gladys Mirugi-Mukundi, promotes the realisation of socio-economic rights in South Africa and the African region. It conducts engaged, multi-disciplinary research, human rights education and actively campaigns around key social justice issues.