Meet our youth justice initiative team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo!

In the heart of Africa, young visionaries from the DRC are launching innovative projects to transform the lives of incarcerated youth.

Noé Bujiriri

"Legal Support for War Displaced Children"

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Noel Mbungu

"Judicial Assistance for War Displaced Children"

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Floribert Nasekwa

"Training for the protection of youth rights"
"De l'implication et la participation des jeunes congolais à la justice"

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Dorcas Shabani

"Naki Hika Piya"

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Eric Makala

"Sheriya Sawa Wote"

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Elie Noël Barhimanya

Justice Stakeholders Project, DRC

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Rachel Mugula

Rapid Legal Support for Children, DRC

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Bahati Murhula Bienvenu

"Accompagnement psycho-social des enfants en detention"

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Noé Bujiriri

DRC, 2020/2023

Youth Charter Articles 1 and 8

Noé, a law graduate and 2021-2022 Laureate Champion of Justice for Minors aims to provide legal support for war-displaced children in conflict with the law. Noé plans to set up a toll-free number to receive alerts on cases involving Children in Conflict with the Law and create a task force to share the alert information between protection actors, provide free legal assistance to Children in Conflict with the Law, and organize advocacy and sensitize community leaders to offer these children rapid legal and psychosocial support. To achieve this, there will be judicial support for at least 30 cases and Noé will establish a network of stakeholders through the task force. In his 2020 project as a Youth Justice Champion, Noé compiled 27 cases of children in Goma Central Prison, 6 of whom have been released, and 20 of whom have been given access to a lawyer and psychosocial support.

Noel Mbungu

DRC, 2023

Youth Justice Charter Articles 1, 3, 4, and 5

Since 1996, conflict in eastern DRC has led to approximately six million deaths. There has also been a dramatic increase in children placed in custody and rehabilitation facilities who do not have access to lawyers or legal advocates. Kanyarutshinya is one of the largest camps for displaced persons in the DRC – located in the eastern region of the country. To help these children, Noel is leading a judicial assistance project in Kanyarutshinya. He will establish a permanent service of lawyers dedicated to the legal protection of displaced children. He will also provide psychological support for children through the organization of a play area.

Floribert Nasekwa

DRC, 2020/2023

Youth Justice Charter, all Articles

Floribert, a university student in the DRC, aims to eradicate arbitrary arrests and protect the rights of children and youth through training workshops, flyer distribution, and reports on the current status of incarcerated youth. The education of youth and members of the public through the workshops and flyers will contribute to the eradication of arbitrary arrests, and also help the Congolese government to build the rule of law and to protect human rights, especially those of children and young people. Floribert plans to include a wide range of volunteers, civil society members, and grassroots leaders in the training workshops. In his 2020 project as a Youth Justice Champion, Floribert also sought to engage young people in juvenile justice and provide legal aid to vulnerable children in detention. He accomplished organizing 2 awareness conferences, and collecting the cases of 6 children, 5 of whom have been released.

Dorcas Shabani

DRC, 2020/2023

Youth Justice Charter Articles 7 and 10

As a lawyer and women’s rights activist in the DR Congo, Dorcas is familiar with the struggles women face in the local criminal justice system. Young girls in prison are exposed to diseases, they do not have access to water or menstrual products, some are pregnant or have children, and others are victims of inhumane treatment by the guards. This project will intervene in order to help these girls to be treated appropriately and protect their rights during the investigation of their case or during detention. Not only will these girls benefit from legal assistance, in particular, the free assistance of a lawyer during all legal proceedings, but they will also receive assistance with a Dignity Kit during their detention, which will contribute to their hygiene and health. Upon their release, the project will also provide for their family reintegration and their psychosocial support with the help of a social worker and a psychologist. In 2020, Dorcas accomplished creating an emergency phone number, assisting girls with reintegration, legal assistance to 8 girls, and the distribution of menstrual and hygiene products to girls in detention.

Eric Makala

DRC, 2023

Youth Justice Charter Articles 1, 7, and 8

Eric is a young lawyer and activist in the DR Congo. His “Fair justice for all” project aims to promote the fundamental rights and freedoms of all children as guaranteed by the constitution of DR Congo, various international charters and treaties, and the Congolese family code without distinction of race, sex, and social level. This project will allow all vulnerable children to have easy access to be assisted or pleaded by a legal defender for free. During the execution of this project, Eric will ensure the provision of services for children through the establishment of an office of legal defenders, giving accused children a space to seek legal help. He will also collaborate with different justice stakeholders who campaign for the well-being of children. These steps will likely achieve the release of some children in detention and improve the general living conditions of children in detention.

Elie Noël Barhimanya

DRC, 2020

Elie Noël, 27, sought to provide legal aid to incarcerated children, and improve people's confidence in the justice system and awareness of IBJ's mission by creating a network of collaborative justice stakeholders. He accomplished providing legal assistance to 5 children, 3 of whom have been released, and organizing judicial justice conferences and awareness campaigns.

Rachel Mugula

DRC, 2020

Rachel completed her training at the Official University of Bukavu and completed a professional internship during which she assisted girls who were victims of secual violence. She also joined an association of women lawyers in the city of Uvira. Her 2020 project aimed to implement a strategy to provide rapid legal and psychosocial support to children in conflict with the law through creating a network of police, lawyers and social workers. Rachel accomplished establishing a hotline, training social workers, holding advocacy meetings, and extending legal aid to 6 children, 4 of whom had their cases closed.

Bahati Murhula Bienvenu

DRC, 2020

Bahati, 22, sought to provide legal and psycho-social support to minors in order to assist them with family reintegration in his 2020 project. He accomplished collaborating with social workers and psychologists to assist 7 children, all of whom have been released. Bahati also took on the cases of vulnerable children including orphans and visited families of incarcerated children to offer support.