Legal Training
Children are forced into criminal activity by the extreme poverty in Afghanistan. Undertaking hazardous work including theft, drug selling and sex work leaves them open to physical, emotional and sexual abuse but the Afghan authorities are unable to cope with these challenges. There is little understanding of juvenile justice and child rights, leading to the regular arrest and detention of children.
War Child's work with children in prison helps protect them once they have been incarcerated but many of them should never have ended up there in the first place.
We want to ensure that the children who are most at risk of coming into conflict with the law are protected and supported by the authorities and that children already in detention are able to understand and access justice.
To do this War Child is training prison guards, police, social workers and lawyers in ensuring child rights and juvenile justice the wellbeing of the children they have responsibility for and their right to justice.
Our work with law students and recent law graduates is creating a group of lawyers with expertise in UN-approved approaches to children's justice. This will ensure that the next generation of Afghanistan's lawyers will put children on the legal agenda. By matching these lawyers with children already in detention we are able to offer them practical experience of juvenile justice case work while at the same time providing legal advice directly to the children we work with.
By training social workers and War Child staff in child rights and juvenile justice we are able to build stronger support networks for children and their families. This improves our ability to monitor and pressure local authorities, as well as provide immediate protection and support to children in prison or at risk of coming into conflict with the law.
This training programme goes far beyond the children we work with directly. By sharing their knowledge with others, the people we train will spread an understanding of child rights far beyond War Child's direct reach.