Dr Violet Odala

Programme Manager, Children and the Law Programme, ACPF

Dr Violet Odala is the Manager for the Children and the Law Programme at African Child Policy Forum (ACPF). In this position, she oversees the implementation of research and advocacy work aimed at ensuring effective legal protection of children in Africa. The projects under this Programme include, Child Rights Governance, Harmonisation of Laws on Children in Africa, and Access to Justice for Children in Africa.  Violet has been involved at different levels in policy development and advocacy, coordinating forums for dialogue and partnership building, as well as engaging with the private sector, Regional Economic Communities, and human rights mechanisms such as the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. She has previously worked with Save the Children International, ECPAT International, and as a Senior State Advocate in Malawi. 

She holds a Doctor of Laws (LLD) Degree from the University of Pretoria, where she researched on child justice; Master of Laws (LLM) Degrees from the University of Minnesota, USA and the University of Nottingham, UK; a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree (in Sociology), from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, RSA. She was the 2011 winner of the international Human Rights Essay Award for which she also holds a Diploma in Advanced Studies in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from the Washington College of Law, American University.