A panel discussion involving all stakeholders.
A seventeen year old boy commits rape against a four year old girl. It is the stuff of nightmares, from which most people would recoil in horror, and attempt to quickly forget rather than contemplate. But such stories and others like it, are all too real, and must be contemplated by someone, not only for the sake of the individual victims, but society as a whole. In Rwanda, that grave responsibility is entrusted to the men and women of the Institute of Legal Practice (ILPD).
People arriving in today’s Rwanda for the first time, marvel at how the country has managed to haul itself out of the horrifying abyss into which it was plunged by the 1994 Genocide Against Tutsi. In “the land of a thousand hills,” seeing the shiny glass and steel buildings that attempt to compete with the hills, the well maintained roads, the gardens, many declare a “Rwandan miracle.”
What they witness is however, no miracle. It is the result of painstaking work, the result of which is mostly intangible, and yet, is the foundation on which every aspect of national life, including the solid constructions rise.
It is now a week, give or take, when a gathering of lawyers, educationalists, child protection officials, psychologists, lawyers, high court judges and others in the justice sector, met at the Kigali Marriott hotel, for what was billed as “The Law dinner for Juvenile justice.” If, as the saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch, this dinner was always destined to be demanding.
The dedication of the dinners to their onerous responsibilities however, is such that they would be willing to pay almost any price for whatever can advance their mission of child protection. As it is, they had been called to be dined and wined, to announce the launch of one of those intangibles upon which so much is built. In the ILPD’s own words, what began, was the “establishment of a Community of Practice for Child justice in Rwanda.”
The new body is expected to provide a platform for all who are involved in expensing justice to juveniles. In particular however, it will be a forum where IPLD officers, who graduate with diplomas in child justice, can share ideas and continue to develop their understanding and expertise.
Participants of the Child Justice Forum in a group photo.
Areas of interest and consideration will include, “feedback on new documents, policy briefs and design documents on juvenile justice under development by government and its partners,” a place for “face to face and online, organised events around topics of interest in juvenile justice,” “advocacy and position papers on topical issues produced from robust debates and seminars, presented at key justice forums, like the ‘Justice, Reconciliation, Law and Order Sector meetings” and much more.
Child protection in Rwanda, is enshrined in the country’s constitution. As well as “protection and nurturing of children within supportive family environments” as mandated by the constitution, there are policies like the ‘Integrated Child Rights Policy,’ ‘Justice for Children,’ the ‘Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy (ADR).’
The ‘Criminal Justice Policy’ (CJP) and ADRP, instituted in 2022, advocate for “a shift from punitive to restorative justice” emphasising probation, and mediation, especially for children, women, and persons of disabilities.” In many ways, Rwanda is therefore well advanced in child protection, including in juvenile justice.
But like everywhere else, including the most advanced nations, resources do not often meet the intentions and requirements. And for Rwanda, notes the IPLD, “despite these advancements, gaps remain between legal provisions and their practical implementation.”
It is these gaps that through the ILPD, alongside other relevant agencies, like the National Child Development Agency (NCDA), the government aims to address. With the support of the UNESCO (United Nations Education and Cultural Organisation), Rwanda envisages what the ILPD terms “a robust framework under its Criminal Justice Policy to transition toward restorative justice for children.”
Under the new system, which is to be founded on creating a community of professionals who attain diplomas in juvenile justice, will develop an environment, where children who find themselves within the justice system, can expect not only sanction, but where necessary, professional support to rehabilitate their lives.
