Pretoria – Every year from November 25 to December 10, the country marks 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children.
Karabo Ozah’s life, however, is 365 days of activism for no violence against women and children.
She has devoted a lot of her time towards making life a bit easier for children and fighting for laws which will ensure the interests of children remain of paramount importance.
In 2007, Ozah joined the Centre for Child Law at the University of Pretoria, a public interest centre dedicated to the protection and promotion of children’s rights through litigation and advocacy.
After 10 years at the centre, she has now been promoted to deputy director – a role she considers to be recognition of her hard work and dedication.
“I have been in a space where I was allowed to grow and be exposed to the children’s rights sector, not only domestically, but also internationally.
“This will enable me to continue to contribute to the strategic aims of the centre and also to continue to mentor my junior colleagues.”
Ozah was raised in Lethabile, in the Brits area and attended the high school in Brits, whereafter she obtained her LLB at the University of Pretoria.
“My interest in becoming a lawyer was sparked by the book The Rainmaker by John Grisham. This book later enhanced my interest in using the law to assist those in need.”
After completing her LLB, she served her articles at the Law Clinic of the University of Pretoria, where she was exposed to the reality of the persisting injustices towards those who in most instances do not have the means to defend themselves in legal disputes.
She obtained her LLM in Child Law with distinction in 2010 and has since been making strides in the children’s rights sector.
Her continued work on children’s rights is driven by the realisation that children were promised various rights in our constitution, but for these rights to be implemented and to benefit them, there is a need for continued and concerted effort to hold bearers responsible for failures to deliver on the promise.
Ozah worked on various cases at the Centre for Child Law that led to precedent-setting judgments for children in South Africa.
“One of these cases that stayed with me is when I assisted a young girl who was raped by a neighbour. The authorities were dragging their feet with the investigation and I put pressure on the investigating officer to complete the investigation. I also wanted him to subpoena the medical experts to testify about the child’s injuries.
“This resulted in a conviction and a life imprisonment sentence.”
Ozah says she despairs when she thinks about how many cases such as this one do not result in convictions as there is no one to apply pressure and hold the duty bearers to account.
“This is despite the numerous legal provisions aimed at protecting our children in these circumstances.”
She remarked that the Constitutional Court, in the case of DPP v Minister of Justice where the Centre for Child Law was an amicus curiae (friend of the court), found the Criminal Procedure Act was sufficiently protective of child victims and witnesses of sexual offences.
“The Constitutional Court said the problems lie in the implementation and lack of an approach that ensures that the best interest of the child remained the paramount consideration in the process of cases of this nature.”
She is of the view this is the truth, but says there are also other measures that can be taken to avoid constant delays in the cases of sexual violence of children.
“The centre has done some follow-up work on this case and published a booklet that indicates some of the persistent gaps in this area.
“These range from physical structures not being equipped with the necessary assistive devices for children to testify and lack of sufficient key personnel.
“These include intermediaries (through who children can testify) to ensure that justice is achieved for children through a process that does not re-victimise them.”
She is of the opinion while there are some measures in place to protect children as far as possible, a lot more can be done – a process to which she is committed.
“The Centre for Child Law is a place where we lead by example. When I joined, it was only myself, our director, Professor Ann Skelton and former colleague Carina du Toit.
“The three of us worked equally hard and at times people could not believe a small team could achieve so much.”
“The team has grown a bit, but it remains crucial to lead by example and do work that is not only promoting and protecting children’s rights, but also work of high quality.”
Skelton says Ozah is a dynamic leader who brings a great deal of balance and wisdom to her task.
“She is a great listener and often waits to hear from everyone else before sharing her own thoughts and ideas.
“South Africa’s children are fortunate that Karabo has chosen to direct her considerable talents and energy towards children’s rights. They will reap the benefits.”