Access to justice by children in Rwanda seem to be on the right track as the country’s global ranking was placed at 80th position, according to Child Rights International Network (CRIN) 2016 Report.

The report, entitled "Rights, Remedies and Representation,” will be launched today in the United Kingdom.

The report covered around 197 country reports assessing how effectively children can use courts to defend their rights in case of plausible violations.

The survey looked at channels and legal instruments in place to help children bring lawsuits in case of rights violations, availability of legal resources; practicability of legal actions and observation of international children rights by country’s local courts.

In a statement, released by the network yesterday, Rwanda’s ranking on children access to justice is progressive after a number of legal reforms undertaken conform to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) created back in 1989.

Minors and lawsuits

However, the report states that so far people aged under 21 are unable to bring lawsuits or otherwise take legal action in their own name unless they are emancipated, in which case they enjoy the legal capacity of an adult.

"The law requires the provision of legal representation to minors in the judicial system but there is an insufficient number of lawyers to meet demand for representation contributing to delays for trials involving minors,” reads part of the statement.

But Johnston Busingye, the minister for justice, refuted this claim, saying criminal cases involving children in courts are relatively low, on top of government financial support to legal counsels representing minors.

"The verifiable fact is that so far we have contracted lawyers at every district level tasked for legal aid on children, indigents people and or those who can’t afford legal services.

"I am not aware of any single case of a child who was denied legal representation in courts, although their cases are still very low, they are supported by lawyers solicited from Rwanda Bar Association and are paid through a budget secured at the government level,” he said.

The report condenses findings from 197 country reports, researched with the support of hundreds of lawyers and NGOs and according to the statement is intended to help countries improve access to justice for children nationally.

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