Limitation of Human Rights in International Law and the Zimbabwe Constitution

Abstract

Human rights contained in international treaties, regional treaties and national constitutions are generally not absolute but are often qualified and subject to reasonable restrictions. Currie and de Waal argues that ‘[c]onstitutional rights and freedoms are not absolute. They have boundaries set by the  rights of others and by important social concerns such as public order, safety, health and democratic values. This essentially means that not all infringement of rights is unconstitutional. Rights can be limited or justifiably infringed if the reason for infringement is justifiable ‘in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.