Project Details.

The project started in December 2018, and its purpose is to increase public trust in state institutions in dispensing reformative justice for children in contact with or in conflict with the law, leading to and contributing towards preventing and responding to violence against children (VAC) through improved rule of law practice and in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 16.2 and 3.3. GDP’s approach is built upon four fundamental principles and drivers (non-discrimination, best interest of the child, dignity, and right to participation) for the realization of impact through selected activities towards “promoting child rights and participation in Pakistan” to realize juvenile justice reform. 

These principles are aligned with the prevalent laws in Pakistan and the provisions set out in the International Conventions on Child Rights (UNCRC), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT), and the CEDAW (Convention on Eliminating All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) in the dispensation of justice for children. 

The HCPL team did an extensive desk review, six focused group discussions (FGDs), 16 key informant interviews (KIIs), and an online survey conducted with 28 trained participants from the chain of justice. Six FGDs were conducted with fathers (1), mothers (1), boys (2), and girls (2). Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were conducted with two judges of Peshawar and Lahore child courts, six lawyers (KP, Punjab, and ICT), two prosecutors, two LEA personnel, four media persons from Lahore and Peshawar, and two lead trainers. The online survey was conducted with 17 lawyers, 6 media persons, 4 LEA personnel, and one prosecutor. The KIIs were conducted in-person and virtually, whereas the focused group Discussions with children and women activists were conducted in person in their respective communities