The courts remained the single largest referrer of clients to the LRF and judicial officers have on a number of occasions attested to the quality of the papers drafted by the LRF. One of the continuing major challenges is that, whilst the LRF’s services are free, there are still court processes that need to be paid for, such as the Deputy Sheriff and/or Messenger of Court fees. Many clients, despite having very good cases, cannot see the court process through as they do not have the requisite money. During the past year the LRF has been able to increase the assistance given to children facing criminal charges through the engagement of two child rights lawyers. 327 juveniles were assisted in the year, 287 of them males. This was a significant increase over the 55 juveniles assisted during the previous twelve months. The state has limited capacity to offer legal aid to all children who come in conflict with the law and the LRF programme has ensured that such children are not subjected to the rigours of the criminal justice system without legal representation. Most were living in dire socio-economic circumstances, which led them into the crime through desperation. The magistrates in Masvingo affirmed that this Access to Justice for Children project had influenced them to create a more conducive and child friendly court environment for the child. As well as clearing the court, they remove their gowns so they will seem less intimidating to the juvenile. They insist that a juvenile must be represented in court and have postponed matters where this is not the case. They also see it as their duty when sentencing juveniles to strive to rehabilitate and reform, rather than merely punishing. Casework New cases New Cases Bulawayo Gweru Harare Masvingo Mutare Total Rural Female Male 1,314 1,050 Urban Female 838 Male Total 618 3,820 334 290 324 203 1,151 1,223 583 930 507 3,243 697 404 334 119 1,554 586 438 605 366 1,995 4,154 2,765 3,031 1,813 11,763 The LRF dealt with a total of 11,763 new cases over the 12 months, 61% being females asserting their rights and 59% being from outside the main metropolitan areas. Resolved Cases THROUGH Centre Legal Representation Drafting of Documents Legal Advice ADR Bulawayo 3,373 101 1,581 1,160 531 Gweru 1,017 4 326 635 52 Harare 2,986 47 2,047 754 137 Masvingo 1,184 1 716 446 21 1,837 7 1,154 574 134 10,397 160 5,824 3,569 875 Mutare Total 18 Resolved cases