Naila Rizqi Zakiah, INDOENSIA

Naila Rizki Zakia of IndonesiaAbout Nalia

Ms. Naila Rizqi Zakiah holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Jember in East Java, Indonesia. Nalia discovered her passion for juvenile justice during college while volunteering at LBH Masyarakat Jember, the only legal aid organization in the regency. After passing the bar in 2014, Nalia became a Public Defender at LBH Masyarakat, providing legal assistance to underprivileged and marginalized people. In addition to her public defense work, Nalia volunteers at Sahabat Anak, teaching street children to read, count, and speak in English.

The Challenge

In 2014, the Indonesian government enacted Law Number 11 regarding the juvenile criminal justice system. The law aims to better protect the rights of children in conflict with the law and to prioritize children’s interests. Nevertheless, the law remains poorly implemented. Through her work with LBH Masyarakat, Nalia has witnessed many challenges that children and youth who have committed crimes continue to face. For example, at Lapas Klas IIA Salemba, Jakarta, and Rutan Pondok Bambu, Jakarta, children and youth are not separated from adult offenders and often receive cruel and degrading treatment from police officers. The children are unaware of their rights and often believe that such treatment is mandated as a consequence of their actions. There is a need for a sustainable and effective way of educating and assisting underage detainees.

The Innovation: “Underage Legal Mentors for Underage Detainees”

Nalia’s project aimed to provide legal mentors to educate and assist underage detainees. First, Nalia educated underage inmates in the prison about the rights of children in conflict with the law. The underage detainees were identified through two legal counseling sessions in Salemba prison, with 44 participating detainees. The children were then recruited to become mentors to other underage detainees. Having already gone through the legal procedures, they understand what juvenile detainees face. This experience, combined with the training on their legal rights, has enabled them to provide effective legal mentorship for underage detainees. Apart from the detainees, Nalia recruited three university students who underwent training to become mentors. She also created a brochure covering the rights of children in the criminal justice system, which was used to train inmates and serve as a resource to increase public awareness regarding the rights of children, circulated to paralegals in the community.