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In March 2001 Northwestern University School of Law's Bluhm Legal Clinic held a conference in Dar-es Salaam, Tanzania on the implementation of the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child in East Africa.

The Clinic, in collaboration with the American Bar Association's Center on Children and the Law and Juvenile Justice Center and the Loyola University School of Law's Civitas Child Law Program, hosted the conference as part of the ABA African Law Initiative Children's Rights Project.

Four Northwestern law students working with the clinic as well as legal professionals, educators and children's rights specialists from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and the United States gathered in Tanzania to focus on practical steps for improving the implementation and enforcement of laws affecting the welfare of children.

"Conferences and projects such as this are a vital aspect of our clinical education," said conference organizer Thomas Geraghty, professor and director of the Bluhm Legal Clinic. "Not only are our clinical students gaining excellent experience, but we also have the chance to make a difference and give something back to these communities."

The 10-year-old U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most rapidly and universally accepted human rights document in the history of international law, and in East Africa the legal framework for protecting children's rights is growing. "Yet, countervailing trends there, including urbanization, political conflict and health-related issues, continue to strain sources of support for the welfare of children," said Geraghty.

Representatives from the four East African countries gave detailed reports on the status of their juvenile justice systems, highlighting areas that need improvement, and also discussed concrete methods for implementing and expanding legal aid for children.

Conference topics included:

… How Countries are Responding to the Problem of Child Maltreatment
… How Countries are Responding to the Problem of Children Involved with the Law
… Interventions on Behalf of Victims of Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation
… Interdisciplinary Issues in Juvenile Justice: Adolescent Development, Mental Health and Child Maltreatment
… Tackling the Resource Question: Developing Financial, Technological and Human Resources

The three-day conference is the second phase of the ABA African Law Initiative Children's Rights Project. The first phase of the project, which began in December 2000, brought representatives from each country to the United States for a two-week visit to Washington, D.C., and Chicago. During the visit, the ABA, Northwestern University School of Law's Bluhm Legal Clinic and Loyola University's Civitas Child Law Program presented an overview of proposed reforms in policies and practices dealing with child protection and the U.S. civil and criminal juvenile justice system.

March 3-5

WORKING CONFERENCE:
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE U.N. CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD IN EAST AFRICA
Peacock Hotel
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania