Legal Services

Children Should Not Face Justice Alone’

Zambia has a population of close to 20 million, with 26,150 currently held in prisons and correctional centres. Among them, approximately over 570 are children and nearly 890 are prohibited immigrants’ figures that highlight a significant concern around the incarceration of vulnerable groups within the justice system. Most children in conflict with the law in Zambia come from low-income households in high density peri-urban areas. They cannot afford a lawyer and legal aid resources are very limited for every child to access. This has led to children representing themselves in court. From police stations to prisons to court, UP Zambia provides free legal support and legal representation to children throughout their cases from start to resolution.

Monitoring of children in detention and police stations/posts

Before a child goes through the criminal justice system after an arrest, UP Zambia physically monitors police stations and police posts to ensure that all cases involving children are considered for diversion; the process of channelling a child in conflict with the law away from the formal justice system and offering alternatives to incarceration. For children who are detained, UP Zambia facilitates police bond and undertakes parent tracing, especially in cases where a child discloses that their parents or guardians are unaware of their detention. This ensures that children are not isolated from their families and that parents are involved in the early stages of the legal process.

Monitoring of children in correctional facilities

If a child ends up in a correctional facility, UP Zambia is there to provide support. With funding from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), we have established legal help desks within correctional facilities so we can monitor and provide support to children in conflict with the law, and other vulnerable groups including child migrants.

The legal help desks provide children in conflict with the law, access to legal education and advice offering simplified explanations of various legal topics. This helps children comprehend their cases and enables them to navigate legal proceedings with clarity and understand legal terminologies used in court.

Through the legal help desks, cases requiring formal legal intervention are referred to UP Zambia’s staff attorneys for support with drafting and filing key legal documents, such as bail applications, submissions, and appeals on behalf of children. Our attorneys actively follow up on cases in the Subordinate Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal, working to address stagnant matters, track court dates, and advocate for timely and fair trials. They also coordinate with family members, ensuring that children receive both legal and emotional support throughout the process.

When a case proceeds to court, UP Zambia provides free legal representation to children in conflict with the law at every stage of the legal process. This includes legal advice, legal education, and ongoing guidance to help children, and their parents understand the court procedures, their rights, and available options ensuring that no child faces the justice system alone.

Legal Representation

When a case proceeds to court, UP Zambia gets involved by providing legal assistance, legal advice and legal education to the children in conflict with the law and their parents. Our legal team explains to the child and their parents, the court process and every stage of the case and advise them. Cases are then referred to staff attorneys for legal representation.

Our staff attorneys provide free legal representation to all children in conflict with the law who will go to trial after pleading not guilty. Where the child is charged with a serious offence and indicates that he or she wants to admit to the charge, our staff attorneys will also provide legal representation and mitigate on behalf of the child to ensure that the best outcome is secured for that child.

Child Justice Helpline

UP Zambia runs a free Child Justice Helpline with nation-wide reach to provide legal assistance to children in contact with the law and their families, particularly if a child has been detained by law enforcement. The Child Justice Helpline also responds to enquiries from the community about child justice issues. To access the Child Justice Helpline please call 2046 for free on MTN, Airtel and Zamtel networks.

Innovating Access to Justice: Mobile Courts in Correctional Facilities

As part of a new and innovative approach to improving access to justice, UP Zambia is implementing a Mobile Courts pilot project in partnership with Prisoner’s Future Foundation (PFF), with support from the Irish Government, and in collaboration with Zambia’s key justice institutions—the Judiciary, National Prosecutions Authority (NPA), Zambia Correctional Service (ZCS), and Legal Aid Board (LAB). The Mobile Courts pilot project is designed to tackle the pressing issue of inmate overpopulation in Zambia’s correctional facilities and seeks to bring the courts directly to those who desperately need access to justice.

Through this pilot project, UP Zambia is ensuring timely access to justice by addressing delays in the legal process for individuals in prolonged detention. By following up with the judiciary and engaging with key stakeholders, UP Zambia prioritizes cases to expedite proceedings. Focusing on misdemeanors and unlawful detention cases, mobile courts resolve issues caused by frequent adjournments, missing witnesses, and delayed trials.

Through this innovation, UP Zambia is demonstrating a scalable and impactful solution to strengthening access to justice for some of Zambia’s most vulnerable populations. By holding court sessions within correctional facilities, mobile courts reduce logistical challenges, clear case backlogs, and promote fair and efficient justice in collaboration with the Zambia Correctional Service.

Anti-Human Trafficking Services

Zambia faces a serious human trafficking problem that remains largely underreported and underestimated. While official statistics capture only a fraction of the true scale, it is estimated that thousands of individuals, including children, are trafficked within and across Zambia’s borders each year (U.S. Department of State, 2023; IOM, 2022). This includes both domestic trafficking and cross-border trafficking, particularly involving vulnerable populations such as children, women, and refugees.

UP Zambia is committed to combating human trafficking and safeguarding the rights of victims, particularly vulnerable children being trafficked and forced to migrate. We provide a range of services to trafficked victims in conflict with the law, including screening migrants and trafficked individuals in detention facilities, offering free legal services, interpretation services, family tracing, psychosocial counselling and referring clients to Social Welfare and the Anti-Human Trafficking Department.

Legal Services

Children Should Not Face Justice Alone’

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