Although there were no children that were arrested following the 1 August 2018 postelection violence, among those arrested, detained and tried after the January 2019 protests were children aged between 9 and 17 years. The children, along with adults, were arrested and detained in police cells. All those who were connected to the protests, including children, were charged with public violence in terms of section 36 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] and were arraigned before the Magistrates Courts. In Bulawayo, the alternative charges of looting and theft were also put forward to the accused children. The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) reported that 12 children were processed through the courts. However, a local NGO that provides free legal services to children, Justice for Children (JC) tracked the cases and recorded a total of 51 children who were arraigned before the Magistrates Court in Harare, Chitungwiza and Bulawayo connected to the violence. 1.4 Children as Collateral Damage Although some children participated in the January 2019 violence as perpetrators, correctly put, children were victims of economic and political decay – whether they found themselves willingly participating in the skirmishes or they were caught in the crossfire. For all intents and purposes, children were essentially collateral damage or incidental victims. It is within this context that the assessment of the treatment of children by the criminal justice system must be understood. Several rights of children were affected, as follows. Arrests and Detention Tens of children were arrested and detained. Arrest and detention by their very nature are egregious forms of violation of children rights, which must occur only in limited circumstances. The dragnet nature of the arrests, and the subsequent treatment of children in custody and in the court system significantly subtracted from the protection of children. Assembly and Education In almost all urban centres in the country, schools were closed in the week of the 14th of January 5 January 2019 arrested protestors being transported to court 2019. From some of the schools came reports of members of the ZNA threatening officials and learners and forcing closure of those schools that were operating. The motives of this were unclear. In Harare some schools opened on Monday, the 14th of January, but were closed around mid-morning. Children could be seen – including on some days during the week – walking about the streets in school uniform, during school hours. In most rural areas, schools remained open for quite a few days, but were eventually closed as the week progressed. This included places like Zvimba and Murehwa. In some schools, teachers were leaving their workstations, leaving the children exposed and confused. In Binga, at one school pupils reportedly heard gun shots at their school. Although teachers stay onsite at the school, students were not attending school following that incident. In Manicaland, as with many other places, transport operators were unable to ferry children to schools as all roads were barricaded. The few schools that attempted to open were forced to close. For instance, students from Dangamvura, St Joseph’s and Sheni Primary Schools in Mutare urban were returned home. Children as young as Early Childhood Development (ECD) level were forced to walk back home on their own. Children got lost along the way as they had not walked these distances before. In Sakubva some children were seen wondering along the roads not knowing where to go. These were picked up by a good Samaritan who took them to Sakubva Police Station where they were taken to their homes with the help of the police officers. ‘Hear them Cry ’ – An Analysis of State Violence Against Children During the January 2019 Protests