Regional Africa Juvenile Justice Network (RAJJNet)

About RAJJNet
The Regional Africa Juvenile Justice Network (RAJJNet) was launched on 20th November 2003 (Universal Child Rights Day) in Nairobi, Kenya during the conference entitled “Promoting Juvenile Justice within Africa”, organized by The CRADLE- The Children Foundation.

The conference was graced by among others the then Assistant Minister in the Office of the Vice President;, the then Swedish Ambassador to Kenya and the official closing and the Assistant Minister for Justice & Constitutional Affairs, Chief Executive of the East African Law Society, the Tanganyika Law Society and the Foundation for Human Rights Initiatives, Uganda, amongst others.

The conference had key representation of government institutions and civil society organizations from Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. A key outcome of the conference participants was the establishment of a network informed by the conference deliberations on the state of juvenile justice within the region. Thus the Regional Africa Juvenile Justice Network (RAJJNet) was born. Since its inception, the RAJJNet has been hosted by The CRADLE at its Nairobi offices. A sub-committee consisting of three representatives from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania was formed to develop a memorandum of understanding that reflects the objectives and aspirations of the members. A dedicated website link has also been established to provide a platform for sharing information and development on juvenile justice in Africa.

Goal
The goal/purpose of the network is to enhance access to justice for the African child.

Objectives
The objectives of the network are to:

  • Provide strategic leadership on juvenile justice in the region.
  • Give international visibility to the issues affecting the African child while seeking for collaborative but child-focused responses to problems of the African child;
  • Monitor trends in juvenile justice in the region and identify gaps and best practices for the promotion of a child-friendly juvenile justice system;
  • Document and replicate best practices on juvenile justice in the region using international and regional standards on juvenile justice;
  • Provide knowledge-based legislative, social and policy advocacy on juvenile justice in the region;
  • Provide an early warning and rapid response mechanism on child rights in the region;
  • Provide a knowledge base and technical expertise on juvenile justice in the region;
  • Enhance the capacity of institutions in promoting and protecting juvenile justice.

Members and Partners 
Members and partners of the Regional Africa Juvenile Justice Network include: 

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