Islamic Kafalah is a guardianship system that enables a child to be brought up within a family environment without inheritance rights and ‘assimilation’ as the legal child of the new parents. This study analyses Kafalah within the context of alternative care for children deprived of their environment. Compares Kafalah to other forms of alternative case and examines the extent to which Kafalah is recognized and practiced internationally. / Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Prof Julia Sloth-Nielsen, University of the Wstern Cape, South Africa. / Mini Dissertation (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM