Research Reports

Improving Government Accountability to Advance the Right to Basic Education: School Infrastructure Research Report Series 

Paper 1: Unequal Access to School Infrastructure and Litigation to Force Change
17 May 2024

Paper 2: Implementation of Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure
17 May 2024 

Paper 3: Analysis of the Funding for School Infrastructure

2025

Paper 4: Analysis of the Performance of the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI)

2025

Children’s Environmental Rights and Climate Justice in South Africa: Impacts of Coal-Related Air Pollution

Research Report

November 2023  

Advocacy Brief

November 2023

Key Principles for Climate Justice Litigation

The purpose of these Key Principles for Climate Justice Litigation is to demonstrate how child rights are being and may be integrated into climate justice strategic litigation practice. These are principles that litigants and other advocates for climate justice should keep in mind. CRSL when carrying out work around the scoping, planning and design of CRSL, operationalising CRSL, working on follow-ups to CRSL, including implementation, and working on extra-legal advocacy (political advocacy and other campaigning, media work and communications).

2023

Reinforcing the Rights of Children Deprived of Liberty in Secure Care Centres in South Africa: A Baseline Study to Inform a Model for Independent Oversight (2022)

Research Report
8 August 2023

Model for Independent Oversight of Secure Care Centres in South Africa
8 August 2023

Advancing Child Rights-Consistent Strategic Litigation Practice 

The report draws on in-depth interviews with CRSL practitioners and people with lived experience of CRSL as children across a wide range of global regions. It is also informed by the work of the project’s Child and Youth Advisory Group.
2022

Executive Summary 
2022

Key Principles for Child Rights-Consistent Child Rights Strategic Litigation Practice

Important guidelines that CRSL actors should keep in mind when working on extra-legal advocacy (political advocacy and other campaigning, media work and communications), implementing CRSL, working on the follow-up to CRSL, including implementation, and scoping, planning, and designing CRSL.
2022

Adjudicating sexual offence matters involving children as victims (2022)

Research Report
28 March 2022

Recommendations: Minimum criteria for judicial officers in sexual offence matters involving children
22 March 2022

An Assessment of the National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence & Femicide: A Child Rights Perspective (2022)

Research Report
28 March 2022

Mapping a multi-faceted child rights strategic litigation and advocacy campaign in relation to the South African Sexual Offences Act (2021)

Research Report
2021

Advancing children’s rights while making tough financial decisions!

Advocacy Brief
February 2021

Child Trafficking in South Africa: Exploring the Myths and Realities

Publication
August 2020

Policy Brief
August 2020

Provision of School Infrastructure in Gauteng: Progress and Obstacles

Publication
December 2019

Infographic
December 2019

Harmonizing the Legal Environment for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: A review of 23 countries in East and Southern Africa, 2017 (The Centre’s Ann Skelton and Karabo Ozah contributed to the writing of the report that was produced by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA))

Publication

Questionable Correction: Independent Oversight of Child and Youth Care Centres in South Africa, 2018 (The Centre’s Zita Hansungule wrote this policy brief that was produced by the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF))

Publication

Advocacy Brief: Advancing the Rights of Children with Disabilities, 2017 (This report was written by Patricia Martin; based on research by Ann Skelton and Zita Hansungule and consultative workshops with disability rights advocates)

Publication

Strategic Litigation Impacts: Equal Access to Quality Education, 2017 (Research was done and written up by Ann Skelton. It was commissioned by the Open Society Justice Initiative)

Publication

The Size of the Pie and How to Cut It: Assessing the NAWONGO Case and the Effects on Social Welfare Allocations for Children, 2016 (This research was done and written up by Debbie Budlender for the Centre for Child Law)

Publication

Budgets and Bricks: Progress with school infrastructure following the Rivonia Primary School Case, 2016 (This research was done and written up by Carmen Abdoll for the Centre for Child Law)

Publication

Guidelines for legal representatives of children in civil matters, 2016 (Commissioned and edited by the Centre for Child Law)

Publication

Making Room: Facilitating the testimony of child witnesses and victims, 2015 (This research was done and written up by Charmain Badenhorst for the Centre for Child Law)

Publication

Promoting Effective Enforcement of the Prohibition Against Corporal Punishment in South African Schools, 2014 (This research was done and written up by Faranaaz Veriava for the Centre for Child Law)

Publication

South Africa’s progress in realising children’s rights: A law review, 2014 (Morgan Courtenay & Zita Hansungule wrote a chapter for this Children’s Institute publication)

Publication

Children at the Centre: A Guide to the Registration of Child and Youth Care Centres, 2012 (This report was researched and written up by Patricia Martin and the Centre for Child Law)

Publication

Justice for child victims and witnesses of crimes, 2008 (This report was edited by the Centre for Child Law)

Publication