Justice Initiative - Congo Initiative

The Justice Initiative (JI) seeks to promote justice in Congo by elevating the voices and influence of those who desire to see a more just and fair system for all people. This includes students studying law at UCBC as well as legal professionals.

JI equips, trains and supports jurists – lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals from eastern Congo – to elevate justice even amidst a broken system.

The legal professionals we serve are doing extraordinary things to transform lives.

Aggressively prosecute those who commit violent crimes against women.
Advocate for the wrongfully imprisoned and help to set them free.
Give legal counsel to those who cannot afford it, free of charge.
Defend widows whose property rights are unjustly denied.

One exciting result is the formation of city groups. The goal of these groups is to promote and advocate for transformation in the justice system, starting at a grassroots level. Active associations are now operating in the cities of Beni, Butembo, and Bunia.

The UCBC Law program (launched in 2017), is also creating a pro bono clinic that will give UCBC students practical experience in the field and provide tangible help to those in need of legal services.

In a context where injustice and human rights abuse continues to threaten civilians, the work of the Justice Initiative is incredibly important. These initiatives are a reminder that those working for justice in Congo are not alone and the work, though difficult, makes a real difference in the lives of the men, women and children they represent.

In 2023, we have already raised $25,000 in support of the Justice Initiative, 50% of our goal $50,000. Will you join justice defenders in Congo and help us reach our 2023 goal?

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TESTIMONIALS

I am Gracia Kazadi Heka, a student at the Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (UCBC), in the Faculty of Law, Department of Internal and International Public Law. I am in L2 (second year). I am the president of CI’s Junior Justice Initiative. The Junior Justice Initiative has two activities that we do every week. There are mock trials and exposés that we organize. These activities help us a lot as junior lawyers because we are not yet confronted with the realities of the profession. It is said that a lawyer must have the art of oration. To help us develop this skill, the law students choose a subject related to law and present it to other students as an exposé. The mock trial experiences help us in our professional life, because if we may be lawyers or magistrates, these mock trials calm the anxieties we may have. The first time when we organized the mock trial, it was not easy and we had gaps in our presentation. But it helped us not to be afraid. Additionally, we always learn new content about issues we may not be aware of from our friends who are presenting.

“The conference taught us a lot of the realities of the experiences of the actors of justice…Justice is possible in the world if everyone accepts to make it a priority…Justice will not be a reality to be practiced only when one holds a position in a jurisdiction, but it must be characteristic even in our family lives. “Justice raises a nation”… We will never talk about peace without justice and vice versa. I really learned a lot from this conference”

Christian BASIKANIA, Law student

“Evolving in a context which ignores the notion of equity, it’s really necessary, even urgent, to educate the current generation which sees justice as an illusion, so that they can see change for the rest of history. We must encourage the multiplication of such activities!”

Furaha, Community member

“I followed the Justice Conference online and it was very edifying. My wish is to multiply similar activities in our Congolese educational system and I thank UCBC for their planning/coordinating and modeling this for others.”

Trésor MUMBERE, Community member .