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JCT- landmark breakthrough for children in Zimbabwe
Bob Muchabaiwa
October 03, 2006

http://www.zimmirror.co.zw/dailymirror/view_news.cfm?storyid=26486

In what has emerged as a landmark breakthrough, children in Zimbabwe, particularly those in difficult circumstances, now have access to free legal services through Justice for Children Trust (JCT).

JCT is a locally registered non–governmental organisation (NGO) whose main purpose is to offer free legal services to children in Zimbabwe, especially orphans and other vulnerable children, regardless of whichever part of Zimbabwe they are coming from.

The socio-economic and political realities bedevilling the country, compounded by HIV and Aids continue to render more children vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Orphaned children are losing their inheritance to relatives and friends. Child sexual abuse, in its many horrifying forms has become the talk of the day. It is estimated that an average of 6 children are sexually abused every day in Zimbabwe. Child labour, trafficking, abandonment and neglect have since ceased to be rarities but have become part of ordinary life in Zimbabwe. As if that is not enough, the right to identity: access to a birth certificate is apparently a pertinent issue that many children are grappling with.

 Knowledge of the law has a strong empowering effect to children themselves. Violation of child rights certainly requires more than charity.

Birth of JCT
JCT was born out of the realisation that a combination of poverty, ignorance and culturally driven fear to report cases of violations of child rights resulted in continued abuse and neglect of children, especially those in difficult circumstances. Worse still, whilst there were many NGOs providing free legal services to women especially, there was no specific organisation with the sole aim of helping children, who as a matter of fact, form the majority of the Zimbabwean populace.  This is a gap that JCT came to close.

"We offer more than charity. We deliver empowerment to children. We give children the voice and access to justice. Everything is free of charge. Our primary target remains orphans and other vulnerable children. 

Petronella Nenjerama, the National Coordinator of JCT added that "...we have positioned ourselves as the beacon and fountain of free legal services to needy and deserving children.

We are going full throat fighting ignorance of child protection laws. We are empowering children to detect and report abusive tendencies and all violations of their rights. This is who we are as Justice for Children". Both the Programme Manager and the National Coordinator are part of the founding team of the organisation that has brought in a new perspective to child protection in Zimbabwe.

JCT was founded in 2002 by a group of registered lawyers to provide free legal services to minors in civil and criminal cases. JCT is operating in different parts of Zimbabwe, with head offices in Harare. The organisation, as said earlier on, was formed with the sole mandate of offering free legal services to disadvantaged children in Zimbabwe. To that extent JCT fits very well into the vision of the National Plan of Action for Orphans and other Vulnerable Children (NPA for OVC).

Relevance of JCT
The numerous and multi-layered socio- economic and political challenges that have wantonly deepened poverty in Zimbabwe and worsened the vulnerability of children which in turn resulted in an unprecedented increase in orphans and other vulnerable children have generated overwhelming demand for legal services offered by JCT.

 The majority of children are being entangled in various social issues and taken advantage of simply because they are children. Cases of child abuse and neglect, inheritance and such other matters call for JCT interventions.

JCT programmes
JCT employs a multi-pronged strategy to achieve its purpose. A combination of programmes that include advocating for enabling and supportive legislation, public education and free legal services to children and their families are used to fulfil the mission of the organisation.

Free legal aid is offered to children in difficult circumstances by gathering information, analysing cases and representing children in courts.  The children that come to JCT are in most cases referred by other civil society organizations such as NGOs and churches.  The organisation has also introduced mobile legal services premised on the principle of taking the law to the people. This service is currently being offered in partnership with S.O.S Bindura, Farm Orphan Support Trust and Batsirai in Chinhoyi among the key organizations.

Currently, JCT is implementing a schools project aimed at developing the capacity of children to be involved in lobbying and advocacy for child related policy, law and administrative reform and to empower them to identify and report cases of abuse and neglect through raising their knowledge of use of the law to defend and protect child rights.

Achievements to date
Barely three years after JCT was formed, it has posted successes in many fronts. Over 1 042 cases have so far been handled by Justice for children. There are testimonies of children who reclaimed property left by their deceased parents. Some have birth certificates. Others are now on maintenance.

The legal education programme has resulted in increased reporting of cases of child abuse.

In the year 2005, the number of reported cases grew from about 8 per day in March to about 23 per day in July the same year in Chitungwiza, Harare and Bindura. It is the hope of JCT to extend this programme to other parts of Zimbabwe.

As a result of the sterling work being done by JCT many stakeholders have hailed the organization and are rallying behind it in order to bring justice to children. JCT delivers its strategy in a collaborative fashion.

Conclusion
Although JCT is doing a sterling job to ensure that children have access to legal services and information, the organisation maintains that there is still need to review specific laws such as the Sexual Offenses Act and the Administration of Estates Act, among others if they are to be truly child friendly. All stakeholders are encouraged to work together in order to effectively use the law to protect child rights.

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