Justice in Action

The Justice in Action Pro Bono Sprint is a community day of action that brings together volunteers from different entities to work together on substantive pro bono projects. You will have the opportunity to work on projects under key areas that need advocacy:

• Children's rights are human rights
• Equity and opportunity for vulnerable populations
• Strengthening justice systems and communities

All work related to the Sprint is conducted during the Sprint. Volunteers are trained at the start of the session and then divided into small teams to work on specific assignments. The volunteers wrap their work after three hours, then come together to reflect on the substantive legal work.

Register below to join or email us if you'd like to be added to our distribution list.

Stop and Search: Focus on Real Rights of Children
(APAC, EMEA and Americas)

A young girl is walking down a road alone when a law enforcement officer stops her and starts to question her. They ask her where she is going. What is she doing? Who was she with? Where are her friends now? Young people need answers to know what they should do.

Through work on this pro bono project, volunteers will help answer key questions from young people to help children and youth understand their rights when they come in contact with law enforcement. From every country around the globe, children seek to understand whether, in societies where you are free to enjoy public spaces without being hindered by government authority, what obligations a young person has when they are stopped, questioned, frisked or investigated by law enforcement. They want to know what the law requires and how youth should respond to adult police without waving their rights. This volunteer work will contribute to a resource used by children and advocates for children, to educate and empower them to realize their own rights. This critical work will feed into the ongoing Real Rights Project being finalized for the Global Initiative on Justice With Children and the Terre des hommes Foundation.

For the benefit of Terre des hommes Foundation

Child Climate Migrants – Protecting Displaced Children of the World Crossing Borders Seeking Safety
(APAC, EMEA and Americas)

Natural disasters have become the leading cause of global displacement across the globe. In 2018, the United Nations estimates that 17.2 million people were displaced because of hurricanes, floods or other disasters. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported growth of that number to nearly 25 million people in 140 countries displaced due to weather-related incidents in 2019, and it is expected to grow to more than 200 million per year by 2050.

While the world debates how to address these crises, it is ignored that children are a huge part of this displaced population. UNICEF estimates that it includes 20,000 children displaced across the world every day. To find solutions to the challenge of children wandering across borders alone and unprotected, we need to examine what each country does when an unaccompanied child flees a climate disaster alone, what laws are there to account for their protection and care and how they can access justice. Volunteers will provide this critical work to International Children's Justice Alliance for presentation at the upcoming World Congress on Justice With Children.

For the benefit of International Children's Justice Alliance

Street Rights for Mothers: Global Laws Impacting Mothers and Kids
(EMEA and Americas)

Beatrice, a young mother living in poor conditions in Durban, struggles to provide for her two small children by selling water bottles on the street. One day, the police threaten to remove her children from her care, citing her inability to properly look after them while working.

This is a common scenario for mothers such as Beatrice in South Africa and in other countries. Young mothers risk their children being removed from their care when they take them onto the street whilst working. We are seeking to understand the legal basis which entitles the State to do this and mothers’ rights to get their children back. Pro bono volunteers on this project will focus on understanding the legal rights of children and young mothers in various challenging situations. This global research will contribute to creating resources that educate and empower children and advocates to realize their rights. The work will benefit Street Rights, a British NGO focused on redefining human rights law so they work for street children.

For the benefit of Street Rights

View more details on the event

Save the date!

We have been recognized as a 2023 Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) Partner Awardee for work undertaken through its Justice In Action initiative, alongside a host of corporate clients, who share Baker McKenzie’s commitment to social justice.