Youth Justice Charter Articles 7 and 10

Bernard, a motivated law graduate and legal officer at Rwanda Bridges to Justice, leads his 2023 project with a specific focus on the Southern Province of Rwanda. Bernard aims to address the pressing issue of treating children as adults within the criminal justice system by raising awareness, developing informational materials, organizing public seminars and workshops, and collaborating with media outlets. Additionally, Bernard seeks to improve access to justice for youth by advocating for comprehensive reforms, enhancing capacity building and training for law enforcement officials, and promoting rehabilitation and reintegration programs. He intends to foster community involvement and create a moot court competition on juvenile justice to further engage stakeholders. In 2020, Bernard collaborated with Mutesi, Lyakaremye, and Dukuzimana in the Youth Justice Initiative to improve legal literacy amongst youth across Kigali through a series of rights awareness events and the establishment of clubs. The Youth Justice Initiative accomplished creating clubs in 3 schools with over 100 members, disseminating flyers for awareness, and ultimately reaching over 1400 youth through their activities. This project utilized technology as a tool which can transform access to justice and make it accessible to juveniles who are detained, their families, and lawyers.​