Access To Justice
Over 6 billion people live in countries where the rule of law is declining, including 22 of the countries where Tdh operates. This results in diminished human rights and in justice systems that are not child-centered. Tdh is working to bring about change in national laws so they reflect human rights norms, and support the justice sector in implementing legislation, in addition to providing capacity development to justice system professionals and services for children and young people in contact with the justice system.
Results
A region-by-region look at our access to justice program shows that in Europe, our pioneering work on digital justice has scaled up. In the West Africa region, Tdh has reinforced its work on social cohesion and civic space, and together with the Middle East and North Africa region, judicial protection for children and young people who have survived gender-based violence has been strengthened. Asia has seen an increase in alternative dispute resolution and non-discriminatory access to justice projects. In Latin America, after more than 20 years of work – particularly in restorative justice – the baton is being passed on to local, national, and civil society institutions, leaving a broad footprint to continue the work.
Overall, we reached 77,440 people through justice projects, 87% of whom were directly supported. The team continued to focus on gender-responsive projects, with more than 37,000 women and girls supported. As a pioneer in normative work and publications, we made 31 written contributions to guide legal review and law enforcement practices, supported governments in their law-making in three key regulatory documents on child protection
and juvenile justice, and designed six capacity-building programs for justice system stakeholders that were incorporated into the national curriculum for training judges and prosecutors. Through the Global Initiative on Justice With Children, Tdh led nine events, convening more than 1,000 stakeholders, and six advocacy campaigns, such as on digital justice and neuroscience.[6]
Outlook for 2024
Tdh will continue with high-impact activities, including the launch of four e-learning Massive Online Open Courses on human and child rights in 2024, thanks to which we will reach a higher number of people with capacity development. Our teams will also be preparing for the 2025 World Congress on Justice With Children. In addition, we will launch the Academic Network of Children’s Rights (RADE), convening African and European Universities to work collectively on research and advocacy.
AI Tool guides child victims of crime
In several European countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece, children and young people face challenges in accessing justice and seeking redress when they are victims of crime, especially those from marginalized groups. Our teams therefore developed an app that uses artificial intelligence to help them easily find information and exercise their rights in criminal proceedings, reducing the risks of further traumatic experiences.
In many cases, when a child is a victim of a crime, they also suffer another layer of trauma: not knowing what to do about it. They carry the stress and fear of what they experienced alone and are not able to seek justice, and so gain a sense of resolution, and hence to recover.
“Children are not informed where to refer to when they have a problem, whom to talk to, who will believe them. An offense was committed against me and I didn’t know who to see, what to do, or who I needed to talk to,” said a 17-year-old Romanian girl.
Co-design with children
The i-ACCESS MyRights project addressed the lack of access to simplified information for children on their rights in criminal proceedings in Europe. Tdh used artificial intelligence to create a tool that helps children navigate complex criminal proceedings and reduce their stress, regardless of their gender or social and cultural background.
The solution was designed by working closely with children through co-design sessions in Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece to ensure it really worked for them. Our teams were able to identify key rights-related issues among children, culminating in the development of a chatbot that addresses the most significant concerns.
“I have participated in groups and activities before, but this was the first time that someone asked for my feedback before they created something. Usually, they just present something to us. It made me feel important.”
16-year-old boy from the
Democratic Republic of Congo involved in the co-design sessions
Keeping children out of prison in Burkina Faso
Tdh implemented a project to improve access to justice for children on the move and other vulnerable children in Burkina Faso, where almost 60% of the more than two million internally displaced people are under 18. The project strengthened the legislative framework around non-custodial measures for children and young people accused of crimes and advocated for their implementation, by organizing workshops with key stakeholders in the justice system, including representatives from the Ministry of Justice. Tdh teams also provided capacity building to 348 protection service providers, which resulted in 82 children in conflict with the justice system being diverted away from criminal prosecution and 58 children being assisted through alternatives to imprisonment.