FUTURE LAWYER | SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE | YOUTH VOICE IN LAW & POLITICS | Through powerful social justice poetry and compelling narratives like 'Evil Slippery Bathtub,' I aim to amplify the perspectives of youth in law and politics.
Why Law Matters: A Young Person's Perspective
At 17, I've already witnessed how the law can both protect and fail the most vulnerable in our society. From the injustices faced by Child Q to the ongoing fight for accountability after Grenfell, I've learned that law isn't just about rules in textbooks, it's about real people's lives, dignity, and rights.
What Actually Is Law?
In the UK, our laws come from two main sources. Legislation (also called statutes) is created by Parliament, hese are the formal laws passed by our elected representatives (MPs). Case law (or common law) is made by judges in courts when they interpret how existing laws should apply to real situations.
But here's what really matters: laws are meant to protect us, ensure fairness, and uphold our fundamental human rights. When they fail to do this, or when they're applied unfairly, that's when we see the kind of injustices I write about on my blog.
Criminal vs Civil Law: Why It Matters
Criminal law deals with actions that harm society as a whole. Break these laws, and you could face prison time or hefty fines. Think theft, assault, or dangerous driving. The state prosecutes these cases because they affect all of us.
Civil law handles disputes between individuals or organisations. This includes contract disputes, family matters like divorce, or when someone seeks compensation for harm caused by negligence. In civil cases, you typically pay damages rather than face imprisonment.
Understanding this distinction is crucial when examining cases like Grenfell. While criminal law looks at whether individuals or corporations committed criminal acts, civil law addresses compensation for survivors and families of victims.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Age and Justice
Here's something that should shock you: in England and Wales, a child becomes criminally responsible at just 10 years old. Yes, you read that right. A 10-year-old can be arrested, charged, and convicted of criminal offences.
Yet that same child can't enter most legal contracts until they're 18, can't vote until they're 18, and society recognises they need protection in countless other ways. This contradiction highlights how our justice system often fails to understand child development and trauma.
The concept of doli incapax, the idea that young children cannot form criminal intent, has been weakened over the years. We're essentially saying a 10-year-old who might not fully understand consequences should face the full weight of criminal law. Cases like Child Q show us how this mindset leads to the traumatisation of children who should be receiving support, not punishment.
Beyond Equality: Why Justice Matters More
Everyone talks about equality but what we really need is equity and justice.
Equality means treating everyone the same. Equity means giving everyone what they need to succeed. Justice means addressing why the inequality exists in the first place.
Take reasonable adjustments, providing screen readers for blind students or ramps for wheelchair users. This isn't "special treatment"; it's recognising that true fairness means removing barriers that prevent people from accessing the same opportunities.
But justice goes deeper. It asks: why are these barriers there? Who benefits from maintaining them? How do we prevent them from existing in the first place?
Human Rights: Not Just a Concept
Human rights aren't abstract ideas, they're fundamental protections that should be guaranteed to everyone. The right to life, liberty, security, privacy, and dignity aren't luxuries; they're necessities for a functioning democracy.
When we strip-search a 15-year-old girl at school without appropriate safeguards, we violate her right to dignity and privacy. When we fail to ensure safe housing standards that lead to tragedies like Grenfell, we fail in our duty to protect the right to life and adequate housing.
These aren't just "unfortunate incidents", they're systemic failures that reveal how our legal system can perpetuate rather than prevent injustice.
Why I Want to Be a Lawyer
Law isn't just about memorising statutes or winning arguments. It's about fighting for justice when the system fails people. It's about being the voice for those who aren't heard, challenging unfair practices and working to create a more equitable society.
Every time I research cases like Child Q or read about the ongoing fight for Grenfell accountability, I'm reminded that law should serve people, not the other way around. As a future lawyer, I want to be part of the solution, not just another person who accepts "that's just how things are."
The law should be a tool for justice, protection, and progress. When it's not, it's our responsibility to demand better.
What's Next?
I'm continuing to document injustices, celebrate legal victories for human rights and explore how young people can engage with and influence our legal system. Law isn't something that happens to us, it's something we can shape, challenge, and improve.
Because at the end of the day, justice isn't just about following rules. It's about ensuring those rules create a society where everyone's rights and dignity are protected.
I’m Supporting Eden (Not Her Real Name): Why It Matters
Unfair Fight or Racist Fallout? Black Girl Excluded, Kick‑Boxer Reinstated
I was still 16 when I attended Eden’s (not her real name) appeal against permanent exclusion, to stand up for her, not just as a student but as a human being.
Eden, a Black Year 8 pupil (12 at the time), was permanently excluded from her school that's over 90% white, despite multiple witnesses confirming she was attacked first by a white peer who is a trained kickboxer, who pulled Eden’s braids and threw the first punch. Eden got the better of her attacker. Almost all statements, even from the aggressor’s friends, support Eden's version of what transpired.
Eden has now been out of school since January 2025. There have been delays upon delays. The school hasn't even responded to the family's request for an Independent Panel Review or acknowledged a Subject Access Request from her mother submitted in March, flouting ICO timelines
The panel, made up entirely of white governors, had no awareness of adultification, neither did the Head or Deputy Head. They knew nothing about the bias highlighted by the Child Q scandal where Black children are unfairly seen as older and more culpable. Unless someone can convince me otherwise, this outcome was fuelled by racism and a profound lack of understanding. I’m determined to support Eden until justice is served. But that might be a long time coming, yet Eden’s family must keep fighting.
I’ve learnt about Judicial Review and the Education Act but most of all I've discovered that having rights and legal protections doesn’t guarantee real justice. Still, we keep fighting.
This is not just Eden's fight, it’s a fight against bias, silence, and a system that treats Black children as disposable. We must not back down.
Whiteness Doesn't Equal Racist
It’s important to acknowledge that whiteness doesn’t automatically equate to racism. Having a predominantly white school population does not make a school racist. The real issue lies in the leadership’s failure to cultivate an inclusive culture, their lack of awareness around biases like adultification, and the absence of understanding of landmark cases such as Child Q. In fact, my own school has similarly limited racial diversity but is one of the most inclusive environments I’ve experienced because the leadership genuinely prioritises equity, belonging and cultural understanding. In Eden’s case, the problem is not demographics but leadership failure.