This image of children inmates in a Burundian adult prison was selected for the 2010 Taylor Wessing portrait prize at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The picture was produced as part of a body of work made for the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) in Burundi. Working alongside human rights lawyers we produced a body of work that catalogued a range of issues in Burundi, including the violation of human rights. These images were used in a report to advocate for improved conditions in key areas of the judicial system. This was part of the wider good governance project ‘Gutwara Neza’ tasked with increasing access to justice in the country.
In 2010 Burundi had no juvenile justice system, with children above the age of 15 being tried as adults. This contradicts the ‘United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child’ (UNCRC). In a country recovering from civil war record keeping is scant, with underage children often slipping through the net. Conditions in 2010 were so poor that women were generally not separated from male prisoners, with rape occurring as a consequence. This lead to unwanted pregnancies, with babies increasing the pressure on the prison system. This particular prison in Ruyigi was operating at 250% capacity at the time of my visit.
Martin and Martin 