Projects

Evaluation of the Justice System for Children in Angola

A visit to Horizonte Azul, an organisation located in a suburb of Luanda

Duration of the Projet: 2013 until today

Brief Project History:

Following a preliminary discussion with the Government of Angola at an African regional workshop on child-friendly police practices organised by the IBCR in 2013, discussions were held with UNICEF Angola on a possible action strategy. During this period, UNICEF received significant support from the European Union to support justice reform in Angola. Two years later, the IBCR was selected to carry out an in-depth analysis of Angola’s juvenile justice system and to lay the groundwork for a European Union-backed reform project.

Goals:

• Evaluate Angola’s justice system for children and related services, taking into account factors such as
  effectiveness, efficiency, impact, viability and relevance
• Prepare recommendations on how to strengthen the system for the Government of Angola and UNICEF

Accomplishments:

The IBCR carried out two missions during which 25 structures were assessed. Through this process, the IBCR
identified the main strengths and weaknesses of the justice system for children and its institutions, as well as the
interactions between the actors involved in the formal and informal systems. The IBCR was also able to extract
lessons learned and best practices, while pinpointing the system’s primary challenges. The IBCR’s recommendations included:

• Strengthened the legal framework
• Improve coordination between the various institutions assisting children who come into contact with the legal system
• Build the capacities of the system’s key players
• Ensure better resource allocation
• Manage information more effectively