Junub Child’s Rights Initiative (JCRI) is a nonprofit making South Sudan National Non-governmental Organization (NNGO) that was established in 2016 with a focus on advocating for rights of children in South Sudan. It was a vision of three passionate young people who are keen to utilize their expertise in the field of law to drive necessary change through advocacy and practical interventions. Issue
s of child rights are prominent in South Sudan, given the country’s devastating long history of civil wars which denied development and denied founding of strong social and political institutions with strong legal bases to ensure protection of civil rights and delivery of services. Many children lost their parents during the wars and have become orphans, while others are without proper parental care due to lose of family coping mechanisms. These children are vulnerable and need active support to ensure their needs are met. They need the support of dedicated agents who are willing to take lead in actively responding to their needs in order to rescue them from falling victims to situations and environments in which they live. Given this background and the emergency conditions under which communities continue to live in South Sudan, JCRI stands to be on the lookout for the welfare of children by ensuring they are protected and their basic rights are met. JCRI takes leading role in lobbying the government to develop and pass policy documents that legally spell out children’s rights; and to enforce and monitor implantation of those policies by all relevant institutions. Second to this, JCRI attends to children in conflict or disaster affected areas to offer child protection, WASH, informal education and other related services. While in the urban setting, students are engaged on awareness on human rights laws, sexuality education, and good hygiene practices - through school programs. JCRI also, engages with the national ministry of Justice and the national prisons services to ensure cases of juveniles are given priority attention and are quickly resolved at the courts and that juveniles are allowed quick access to legal services. And that they are not held in detention without convictions and their conditions in the prisons and detention centers are improved. Orphaned children and children without proper home support are filling streets of almost all capital cities in the country, and this is another major concern area for JCRI. These children are at risk of being directionless in life and potentially stand to be unproductive citizens to the nation. They are lacking guidance and support in order to channel their abilities and potentials into productive endeavors for themselves, their communities, and the nation. Without rehabilitation and guidance, these children are involved in drug and alcohol abuse, theft and robberies, and group or gang violence. The results of their actions are poor health and spread of diseases among their peers, falling on the wrong side of the law, and potentially death or sustaining life altering injuries. It is within the objectives of JCRI that these children are created environments where they can be protected, rehabilitated and nurtured for positive development. Young people are the engines and wheels of every nation and South Sudan cannot afford to lose its vital human resources to social decay. The children of South Sudan need to be nurtured and protected because they are the hope of tomorrow - “they deserve better care”.
