What’s in a Name? “Child-friendly” Justice in Africa

This chapter seeks to pave the way for the discussion of the notion of “child friendly justice” in African context. First, it describes the various manifesta-tions of children’s contact with justice systems on the continent. Second, it will examine some strengths, weaknesses, gaps and potentials that exist. In this section, the policy orientation understood as Justice for Children (or J4C) will be described. The third section provides the current international legal and policy framework which is uniquely applicable to African States, either via regional treaties, soft law or guidelines. The paper will then provide an assess-ment of the usefulness of the concept of “systems strengthening” in devel-oping and maintaining “child-friendly justice” for children in Africa. Some conclusions for the ongoing development of justice for children in Africa form the final part of the chapter.