Children's Legal Defense Center

06/05/2026

APRIL UPDATE: CLDC provided legal defense to 59 new imprisoned children and secured the release of 46.

Behind these numbers are children facing detention without legal representation, children imprisoned despite being underage, and families navigating a justice system without support.

Through direct criminal defense and child-friendly justice advocacy, we work to make the protections in Somaliland’s laws real in practice.

We’ve also launched our new website, where you can learn more about our work, approach, and impact:

🌐 https://www.cldcsl.org/

Thank you to everyone helping make justice real for imprisoned children.

Putting human rights into action to get children home.

21/04/2026

We’ve launched a new CLDC website—and we’d love for you to take a look.

What started with a desk near the courthouse in Hargeisa has grown into a team defending children in conflict with the law across Somaliland. Our new site reflects that work: how we use legal defense to put human rights into action and help children get home.

Explore it here: www.cldcsl.org

Every case we take on helps ensure that the law protects children where it matters most—in the courtroom.

Thank you for being part of this work.

07/04/2026

What does justice look like for a child in prison?

In Somaliland, many children face the justice system alone—without a lawyer, without someone to defend their rights.

The Children’s Legal Defense Center is working to change that.

In 2025, CLDC:
• Defended 609 children
• Secured the release of 353 children
• Reduced sentences for 129 children

In some of the most serious cases, CLDC lawyers stood beside children facing the death penalty—challenging unlawful sentences and protecting them from irreversible harm.

This is what it means to make justice real.

📄 Read our 2025 Annual Report: https://tinyurl.com/43ct7tm4

02/04/2026

In March, CLDC defended 34 children and young people.

Among them:
• A child arrested for trying to migrate
• Two girls represented through our gender justice legal unit, supported by Giving Joy Grants

Too often, children are treated as criminals for acts of survival—or simply for being vulnerable.

This month:
• 16 released
• 14 sentences reduced

Behind every case is a child navigating a system they should never face alone.

We show up in court to challenge this—ensuring children’s rights are not ignored.

Your support makes justice real. Donate now to make sure imprisoned children in Somaliland have a lawyer: https://goto.gg/67430

17/03/2026

From March 17–20, your gift can help put a lawyer beside an imprisoned child—and it will be matched by 50%.

GlobalGiving’s Little by Little campaign is live, and for a short time, all gifts up to $50 will be matched while the $125,000 fund lasts.

Your $10 → $15
Your $25 → $37.50
Your $50 → $75

Crowdfunding is powerful. It’s how the Children’s Legal Defense Center began. When we took our first case in 2020, it was people like you—giving what they could—that made our work possible.

Since then, that same power of the crowd has helped us provide legal defense to 3,091 imprisoned children in Somaliland.

Now, we have a clear goal: raise $1,500 to defend five imprisoned children—children who would otherwise face the justice system completely alone.

This campaign also falls during Ramadan, a time centered on compassion and generosity. It’s a meaningful moment to come together and stand with vulnerable children.

⏰ Matching funds go quickly—please consider giving between March 17–20.

👉 Donate now: https://goto.gg/67430

Your support makes justice real.

03/03/2026

Girls in detention are often the most invisible.

In February, CLDC opened 50 new cases.
Among them were 8 girls and young women.

But February wasn’t just about new cases.

Because of sustained legal advocacy — including support from Giving Joy Grants — we saw:

✨ 7 girls and young women released
✨ 1 juvenile girl’s sentence reduced
✨ Ongoing defense for girls across every age group

Releases and sentence reductions reflect months of work — court appearances, negotiations, customary resolutions, and persistent advocacy.

When Giving Joy Grants invested in CLDC’s female-focused legal unit, they invested in outcomes like these.

Behind each number is a young woman who now has a second chance.

Your support makes justice real. 💛

04/02/2026

We’ve started 2026 strong.

37 children are no longer in police detention or prison in Somaliland — and are back where they belong: with families, in school, and in their communities.

At Children's Legal Defense Center, every release means a child gets a second chance — away from overcrowded cells and toward protection, education, and stability.

This is what access to justice for children looks like. And we’re just getting started this year. 💛

19/01/2026

Your support makes justice real.

When children are arrested in Somaliland, legal protections exist — but they only matter if someone enforces them. CLDC’s lawyers step in to ensure children are not left to face the justice system alone.

We’ve launched our 2026 fundraising season with a short video from our Managing Lawyer explaining what justice looks like in real life — and why community support makes that possible.

If you believe justice should be more than words, please consider donating: https://tinyurl.com/2p9pumjp

07/01/2026

We’re thrilled to share that the Children's Legal Defense Center has been selected as a 2025 Giving Joy Grants micro-grant recipient! 💛

Chosen from more than 4,000 proposals worldwide, Giving Joy Grants recognized CLDC’s work defending marginalized children in Somaliland—especially imprisoned girls and young women facing gender-based violence and systemic injustice. This grant will support a pilot strengthening our gender-responsive legal strategies, directly benefiting 10–15 girls and young women and helping us build CLDC’s first female-focused legal unit.

We’re deeply grateful to Giving Joy Grants who believes in justice and dignity for girls.

31/12/2025

As we look back on 2025, we’re filled with gratitude for everyone who supported the Children’s Legal Defense Center this year. 💙

Because of your generosity, our lawyers were able to:
• Defend 609 children
• Help 353 children walk free
• Secure 129 reduced sentences, bringing children home sooner

Behind every number is a child who was scared, forgotten, or dismissed—and someone who chose to stand up for them.

Thank you for believing in the dignity and worth of every child and for making this work possible.

30/12/2025

As 2025 comes to a close, we want to thank everyone who has been part of the Children’s Legal Defense Center community this year. 💙

Because of your support, our lawyers continue to show up for imprisoned children in Somaliland—children who are often forgotten, dismissed, or left without anyone to defend them.

There are just two days left in 2025 to make a tax-deductible year-end gift in the US. If you’re able, your donation will help ensure we can continue this work into the new year and keep insisting on dignity, justice, and humanity for every child.

✨ Give before Dec 31: https://tinyurl.com/2p9pumjp

Thank you for standing with children who need it most.