Justice for Children Trust (JCT)

About us

Justice For Children (JCT) is a nongovernmental organisation which was founded in 2002 by a group of registered lawyers and established as a Trust. The organisation was registered with the Law Society of Zimbabwe in February 2004 to provide legal aid to orphans and vulnerable children below the age of 18 years in civil and criminal cases.

Vision
A Zimbabwe in which all children have access to justice and enjoy their human rights.

Mission
Justice for Children ensures access to justice to and the enjoyment of human rights by all children below the aged of 18 years.

Objectives:
• To provide free legal services to minors in civil and criminal matters
• To educate the society on children´s laws
• To raise awareness about JCT and its activities
• To research, document and publish findings on children´s legal issues
• To lobby and advocate for legal and policy reform on matters affecting children

Programmes:
• Legal Aid: This is the core programme of the organisation in which children, mostly through their parents or guardians and custodians, are given legal assistance in criminal and civil cases. The assistance includes legal advice, drafting legal documents and representation at police stations and in courts.
• Legal Education: The organisation empowers adults and children on child protection laws and procedures through workshops, awareness campaigns and meetings so that they take appropriate action, including seeking legal redress, where children´s rights are violated.
• Research and Advocacy: JCT carries out researches on issues affecting children and documents the findings which are then used to lobby and advocate for policy and law reform. In doing that, it liaises with various stakeholders who include children, law and policy makers. The researches use comparative and human rights approaches and as such, the organisation analyses laws and policies enacted in other countries, regional and international conventions. The organisation has carried researches on birth registration, inheritance, status of the education system and the handling of child sexual abuse cases by the Regional Courts.

Projects:
• The rights of children in conflict with the law - Plan Denmark
• Promoting children´s access to Justice – GIZ
• Prevention of teenage pregnancies in Epworth – Plan Denmark
• Ensuring the rights of adolescent and women survivors of Gender based violence - UN Women
• Child participation in access to justice – Plan Germany
• Changing children´s lives through promoting access to justice - Kindernothilfe (KNH)

Caleb Mutandwa is the Director of the Justice for Children Trust (JCT).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.