The Children's Legal Defense Center will provide specialized criminal defense services to 600 imprisoned children in Somaliland.
The Somaliland government's first response to children accused of crimes is imprisonment. Whether or not they are guilty, whether or not there is evidence against them, and whether or not they are old enough for criminal punishment, police arrest children, prosecutors try children, and judges sentence children to prison time. This does not have to happen. Somaliland law only permits imprisonment children as a last resort. There is a disconnect between the law on paper and the law in practice.
The Children's Legal Defense Center bridges this disconnect between the law on paper and the law in practice. Our lawyers take the written law and make its legal protections a reality. We do this by assisting children and their families to know the law, how it applies to their situation, and then provide them criminal defense services. Children and their families receive the professional legal help they need to ensure the state respects their rights and are active participants in this process.
The project will provide specialized criminal defense services to 600 children (18 or younger) in Somaliland, helping to ensure that their rights are respected and children are only imprisoned as a last resort.
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