Flaviana Bahati Charles is a Lawyer, Executive Director-Business and Human Rights Tanzania (BHRT) and a member and mediator under the African Union’s Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise-Africa).
Flaviana is the Chairperson of the Coalition of Women Human Rights Defenders in Tanzania. She is also the Secretary General of the African Bar Association (AFBA) – the Association of lawyers in Africa. She is a past Vice President of Tanganyika Law Society-TLS (A bar association of lawyers in Tanzania) and the President, Toastmasters club-Tanzanian Branch. Flaviana is the editor of Business and Human Rights Journal (BHRJ), published by Cambridge University Press.
Flaviana is a former Programme officer at Legal and Human Rights Centre in Tanzania (LHRC). She is also currently a PhD candidate of Open University of Tanzania, and member of the following organizations; East African Law Society (EALS), African Coalition for Corporate Accountability, Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA) and Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Association. Flaviana is a board Member, Tangible Initiative for Local Development in Tanzania.
Flaviana holds a master’s degree in international law and Human Rights from Coventry University; London, United Kingdom, a Degree in Law (LLB) from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and postgraduate diploma in Law, Mediation and Arbitration. She also holds certificates in conciliation, mediation and arbitration, legislative drafting, leadership, ISO 26000 Social Responsibility, project management: tool and skills, corporate governance-a course for Directors, media and communication in addition to her advocate’s practicing certificate.
Flaviana is also a part time lecturer at university of Bagamoyo and Law School of Tanzania. She has several publications to her name on among others, gender equity in the extractive sector, Community Rights in investment, Corporate Social Responsibility, Right to clean, heath and Safe Environment and Human Rights and Business reports (See: www.humanrights.or.tz)
Flaviana has developed training Notes on Gender Dimension to increase women’s participation by designing programs aiming at empowering women in Tanzania to participate in Civic and political life especially on importance of voting, increasing Regional ties among women group and conduct participatory methods of education to give young women a political voice early in their lives. She has presented papers at the United Nations in Geneva, African Regional forum in Ethiopia, Business and Human Rights forums in Brussels, Pretoria, Peru, Germany and many more.
