Help 250 children in prison in Burundi + Cambodia

 APRIL 19, 2023

International Bridges to Justice relies on your support to enable their taskforces of lawyers in Cambodia and Burundi to minimize/prevent interrogative torture in the police custody for children, reduce the length of time they spend in pre-trial detentionand ensure fair trial. Children who are detained frequently fall through the cracks of overwhelmed and poorly resourced legal systems, leading to their confinement with adults, which raises their likelihood of harm. The situation of detention and imprisonment of children in Cambodia and Burundi is worrisome since they should attend school instead of being detained or incarcerated, where they also suffer from inadequate nutrition. Your donation will assist us in carrying out our mission. Please read our report on the 28 children we've assisted since September of 2022.

Burundi

These past months in Burundi, our lawyers have provided 28 children with legal protection during early stages of arrest and detention at the police stations. Nine out of the 28 were identified during our regular police-cell-monitoring visits. Five of these nine children were immediately released. In total, 22 of the 28, that is 80% of children we helped were released. If not for these crucial and timely interventions, they were to be charged, detained, and tried in criminal trials. Below are just two of the 28 stories.

Bella’s Story

Bella, a 16-year-old child in Burundi, spend 3 days in police custody after being arrested and detained for an alleged offense. Bella was accused of theft by her boss. While Bella should have been sent to a center for minors, immediately after the arrest, she was transferred to a police station. During twice-a-week visits to police cells, defense lawyers of the BBJ team quickly learned from Bella that she was arrested only the basis of complaint by her boss and without any evidence. . Supported by the Deputy Central Commissioner in charge of Criminal Investigation Division of the National Police, BBJ defenders explained that Bella’s detention was tactical, a ploy by her boss to avoid paying Bella her outstanding salary. Although a minor, Bella worked hard for the man who accused her of theft as a domestic helper, working unpaid for a year and a half. Additionally, BBJ defenders also brought to the attention of police that employing a minor was fundamentally illegal. Only two days after BBJ’s intervention, Bella was released and her boss was asked to pay her salary.

Lola’s Story

Lola* is 16 years old; she was detained in Buturere police station while 2 months pregnant. She was placed in a holding cell with adults. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of BBJ defenders, she was released.

Radio Rights Awareness Campaign

 On the 2^nd December 2022, a defender from BBJ took part as a panelist in a radio program to discuss children's rights especially with relation to street children. BBJ defense lawyer emphasized that street children are frequently subjected to mass arrests and detained in police cells for extended periods, sometimes more than a week, before being transferred to a re-education center.

The conversation centered on identifying sustainable solutions to the problem of street children. BBJ lawyer explained root causes, which include abuse and violence within families, extreme poverty of some families, lack of support for orphans, and parental disagreements and divorces for children to leave homes and wander on the streets. The panelists discussed the negative consequences of this phenomenon, such as children being out of school and unable to prepare for their future, becoming victims of thefts, violence against girl-children, falling prey to drug abuse, and being frequently arrested and imprisoned. The panelists then discussed the strategy of the Ministry of Human Rights, Gender and National Solidarity to counter this phenomenon, and proposed several solutions. Firstly, they stressed the need for updated and reliable data to better understand the issue. They also emphasized the importance of raising awareness and involving everyone, including law enforcement officials, in the fight against street children. Additionally, they proposed addressing poverty in households and setting up transit centers where children found on the streets can be housed and reintegrated to the society. The proposed solutions offer hope for sustainable change, but it will require the collective effort of individuals, organizations, and the government to tackle the root causes of this issue and provide these vulnerable children with a better future. BBJ defender explained how BBJ is protecting the rights of the children, including street children when they come in conflict with law.

Thank you again for your support to IBJ! Every child deserves a second chance!