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CENTRE FOR CHILD LAW, PRETORIA UNIVERSITY
The Centre for Child Law
is a registered law clinic, based in the Law Faculty
at the University of Pretoria. The Centre uses
strategic impact litigation to promote and advance
the rights of children in South Africa. The Centre
has had a number of successes in the Constitutional
Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal and the High
Courts. The judgments obtained have set precedents
that have brought about changes in the law,
government activities and broader society.
One stream of the Centre’s work is the promotion of
the right to education of all children in South
Africa. During 2013 the Centre has been involved in
cases in which:
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the right of pregnant learners to go to school
was recently confirmed and protected by the
Constitutional Court; |
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the Grahamstown High Court ordered that the
Department of Education provide impoverished
schools in the Eastern Cape with school
furniture; and |
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the right of separated children with asylum
claims to access education was up held,
after 8 children from DRC were refused
access to school and the Centre obtained a
High Court order that permitted them access.
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The Centre has also been involved with high profile
cases pertaining to care and protection of children,
children’s right to social services, criminal
justice and sexual offences. One of the Centre’s
cases recently resulted in the Constitutional Court
decriminalising consensual sexual interaction
between 12-16 year olds.
The Centre also advances the rights of children
through education, research and advocacy. The
Centre, together with other organisations, is
advocating for measures to alleviate pressure on an
overburdened foster care system. . Similar work is
being done on the registration of child and youth
care centres.
The Claude Leon Foundation has provided financial
support to the Centre for Child Law since 2011. |
