A Child Rights-Based Approach to Diversion in Ethiopia: An Analysis of the Community-Based Correction Program in Addis Ababa

International instruments, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), provide standards on the rights of the child that seek to ensure special treatment of children (allegedly) in conflict with the law. Rehabilitation and reintegration are central objectives. A Child Rights-Based Approach (CRBA) to juvenile justice, based on these international instruments, calls for states to take appropriate rights— based measures that protects the best interests of the child and keep children out of the domain of the criminal justice system through diversion. This paper analyzes the Community Based Correction Program (CBCP) in Addis Ababa that focused on diversion from a Child Rights—Based Approach. The analysis reveals that the experience of the CBCP in Addis Ababa is a viable option to tackle some of the fundamental problems that prevent the realization of the rights of children in conflict with law.