An Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Legal Framework on Access to Justice by Children in Juvenile Detention in Uganda
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Date
2024-06-06
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Uganda Christian University
Abstract
This study analyses the effectiveness of the legal framework on access to justice by children in juvenile
detention in Uganda.
It offers a background into the system and practice of juvenile detention, showing its history and
development both internationally and within Uganda. It looks at the legal regime governing juvenile
detention and the wider system within which children are protected.
The primary laws analysed in Uganda include the Constitution, The Children’s Act as amended and all the
related laws thereunder. It further looks at the international and regional instruments signed for the
protection of children and for the treatment of prisoners both adult and juvenile.
In order to determine the effectiveness of all the above in access to justice by children in detention, the
socio-cultural framework of the country is analysed and the gaps in the enforcement of the laws are
mentioned. The challenges to the access of justice of children are seen to be both legal and social, and the
solutions entail a repair on both sides.
The research recommends that specific laws codifying the treatment of children in juvenile detention be
the priority, and a mechanism of controlling the discretion which officers exercise in juvenile matters be
developed.