In November 2011, the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) in partnership with Defence for Children International (DCI) hosted the Global Conference on Child Justice in Africa in Kampala, Uganda. The Conference was accompanied by a Study titled “Achieving Child Justice in Africa,” which highlighted the normative framework relevant to child justice in Africa, as well as the main challenges facing the implementation of these norms and standards. One of the fundamental gaps highlighted by the 2011 Study was the prevalent use of informal and traditional justice mechanisms, and the corresponding challenges in ensuring the protection of the best interests of children in these contexts.
Seven years after the Child Justice Study and the Kampala Conference, positive developments in the advancement of children’s access to justice in various African countries have taken place, however immense challenges still remain on the path to promotion and protection of the best interests of children when involved in the justice system.
To address these challenges, ACPF and DCI, undertook a follow-up regional Study to document the current status of child justice in Africa as of 2017, providing an updated overview of the status of access to (formal/informal) justice for children on the continent, paying particular attention to developments relevant to protection in the context of informal and traditional justice systems as well as access to justice by especially vulnerable groups of children.