RCN Justice & Démocratie

What RCN Justice & Démocratie does

RCN Justice & Démocratie is a Belgian non-profit organization (ASBL, Association Sans But Lucratif) founded in September 1994 in the direct aftermath of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Headquartered in Brussels with permanent offices in Kigali, Kinshasa, and Bujumbura, the organization operates across Belgium, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Morocco on access to justice, transitional justice, transformative justice, and memory/critical citizenship education. Originally named RCN Réseau des Citoyens/Citizen's Network, it rebranded to RCN Justice & Démocratie in 2000, formalizing a people-centered approach that combines formal judicial support with customary and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Its beneficiaries include survivors of mass violence, civil society actors, educators, legal practitioners, and judicial institutions across the five countries of operation.

The organization's service portfolio comprises four educational modules (covering stereotypes/discrimination, mechanisms of mass violence, justice and anti-impunity, and change agents), the "Si c'est là, c'est ici" pedagogical toolkit built from survivor testimonials across five countries, multimedia productions (podcasts on the colonial roots of genocide, animated videos, pedagogical dossiers for films), teacher training and study trips to Rwanda, legal clinics, universal jurisdiction trial monitoring, and an interdisciplinary certificate in transitional justice. Core offerings are educational and advisory rather than technology platforms; the digital components are educational multimedia content rather than software products. The organization's technical backbone is its country-level delivery infrastructure and partner network rather than a proprietary technology stack.

The business model is grant-funded: as an ASBL, services and educational resources are provided free of charge to beneficiaries and end users, financed through institutional donors, technical and financial partners, and member donations. Named funding and partner relationships include UN Women (2013), BCH (2015), Coördinatiecel Democratie of Barbaarsheid (2010), 11.11.11 MOVO platform, Echos Communication, Justice et Paix, CNAPD, IFC, IGO-IFJ, and Association Oujda Ain Ghazal (2017). Governance comprises a 55-member voluntary General Assembly and an Administrative Board of at least 5 administrators elected for three-year terms. There is no parent company, no external shareholders, and no commercial revenue stream.

Name

RCN Justice & Démocratie

Legal name

RCN Justice & Démocratie ASBL

Website

https://rcn-ong.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

RCN Justice & Démocratie is a Belgian non-profit (ASBL) founded in 1994 that works on access to justice, transitional justice, and memory/citizenship education across Belgium, Rwanda, DRC, Burundi, and Morocco, serving survivors, educators, civil society, and legal practitioners through educational modules, legal clinics, and pedagogical tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights and Justice Education Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD), Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

Keywords

• Transitional justice education
• Remembrance education programs
• Legal aid services
• Civil society capacity building
• Pedagogical toolkit development

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RCN Justice & Démocratie is a Belgian non-profit organization that delivers educational programs, pedagogical toolkits, legal clinics, and justice initiatives across Belgium, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Morocco, and Burundi. Its core offering includes four educational workshops on stereotypes, mass violence, justice, and change agency; multimedia resources such as podcasts and animated videos; legal clinics and transitional justice programs; and remembrance education for schools. The organization is funded primarily through grants, institutional donors, and member donations, providing its services free of charge.

Product overview

RCN Justice & Démocratie offers a portfolio of educational products and programs focused on justice, human rights, and memory education. The core offering consists of four educational workshops (Modules 1-4) covering stereotypes/discrimination, mechanisms of mass violence, justice and impunity, and becoming agents of change. These are complemented by a comprehensive pedagogical toolkit 'Si c'est là, c'est ici' with testimonials from mass violence survivors, animated videos, teacher training programs, and study trips to Rwanda. The organization also produces multimedia content including podcast series and pedagogical dossiers for films. Additionally, RCN J&D operates justice programs including legal clinics, transitional justice certificates, and universal jurisdiction trial monitoring. The product portfolio is organized around thematic areas: judicial justice, customary and alternative dispute resolution, transformative justice, transitional justice, and memory education and critical citizenship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Module 1 – Décolle tes étiquettes (Workshop 1 – Stereotypen en discriminatie) Educational workshop on stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination, helping students understand and resist labeling mechanisms that lead to exclusion.
• Module 2 – Je suis, sans te suivre (Workshop 2 – Ik doe, dus ik ben!) Workshop exploring mechanisms that lead to mass violence such as conformism, group pressure, obedience to authority, and bystander behavior, teaching critical thinking and resistance.
• Module 3 – Justice et lutte contre l'impunité (Workshop 3 – Gerechtigheid en de strijd tegen straffeloosheid) Workshop exploring justice and the fight against impunity, including international legal mechanisms and a role-playing game 'Ubutabera' about a fictional ICTR trial.
• Module 4 – Acteurs de changement (Workshop 4 – Actor van verandering) Workshop on becoming an agent of change, inspiring students through stories of resistance and heroes who opposed mass violence throughout history.
• La mallette pédagogique « Si c'est là, c'est ici » (Educatieve koffer 'Als het ginder is, is het hier') Pedagogical toolkit with testimonies of people who experienced mass violence in Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Cambodia, including audio stories, animated cards, photographs, and thematic background information.
• Nos vidéos animées (Animated videos) Animated educational videos exploring themes of justice, memory education, and citizenship.
• Nos formations pour les enseignant·es (Teacher training programs) Training programs for teachers including study trips to Rwanda for educators in secondary education, with educational trajectory support for classrooms.
• Soundtrack to a Coup d'État – Dossier pédagogique Pedagogical dossier accompanying the film 'Soundtrack to a Coup d'État' about the 1971 coup in Guinea-Bissau.
• Série de podcasts (Podcast series) Podcast series on the colonial roots of the genocide against the Tutsi, featuring new episodes exploring historical justice themes.
• Suivi des procès en compétence universelle (Universal jurisdiction trial monitoring) Monitoring and follow-up of universal jurisdiction trials, particularly those related to Rwanda and crimes against humanity.
• Certificat interdisciplinaire en justices transitionnelles Interdisciplinary certificate in transitional justice, offered in partnership with academic institutions.
• Cliniques juridiques (Legal clinics) Legal clinics providing access to justice support and services for communities.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Association Oujda Ain Ghazal (Morocco)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Since 2017, RCN J&D supports Association Oujda Ain Ghazal in implementing programs to combat GBV in a transformative justice logic in the Oriental region of Morocco.
• Bijzonder Comité voor Herinneringseducatie (BCH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2015RCN G&D has been a proud member of the BCH since March 2015. The BCH supports teachers in effectively working on remembrance education. The committee provides practical and substantive tips, inspiring lesson suggestions and other interesting offerings for remembrance education.
• UN Women - Fonds voor gelijkheid der seksenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2013In November 2013, the project on 'Land access for women' was distinguished for its quality by the UN Women Gender Equality Fund.
• Coördinatiecel Democratie of BarbaarsheidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Recognized RCN G&D as a center for remembrance education in 2010. Offers training days, remembrance education activities and projects, and interesting literature.
• MOVO-platform of 11.11.11minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCN G&D participates in the MOVO platform of 11.11.11 as an actor in development and global citizenship education.
• Echos CommunicationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Echos Communication on supporting youth in societal projects in Belgium or abroad. Together they presented a Youmanity dossier on conflict prevention and resolution at local level.
• Justice et Paix (Commission for Justice and Peace)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Justice et Paix and CNAPD offering a training module on armed conflicts given at Institut de Formation en cours de Carrière (IFC).
• CNAPD (Belgian NGO for Peace and Democracy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Justice et Paix and CNAPD offering a training module on armed conflicts given at Institut de Formation en cours de Carrière (IFC).
• Institut de Formation en cours de Carrière (IFC)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRCN G&D, in collaboration with Justice et Paix and CNAPD, offers a training module on armed conflicts at IFC.
• Instituut voor Gerechtelijke Opleiding (IGO-IFJ)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRCN G&D collaborates with IGO-IFJ on developing modules for (future) law enforcement actors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• 11.11.11: Belgian umbrella coalition for international solidarity and development cooperation, hosting the MOVO platform of which RCN is a member—broader incumbent coordinating North-South NGO partnerships in Belgium.
• Fédération Internationale pour les Droits Humains (FIDH): International human rights federation with 192 member organizations, including advocacy on universal jurisdiction cases—broader incumbent operating at much larger scale in overlapping rights/justice domains.
• European Network Against Racism (ENAR): Pan-European anti-racism umbrella network—comparable as a broader incumbent in the same anti-discrimination and racial justice space RCN addresses through its Module 1 ('Décolle tes étiquettes') work.

Direct peers

• International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ): Global organization working on transitional justice, accountability for mass atrocities, and human rights—directly comparable to RCN's transitional justice and universal jurisdiction work, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Aegis Trust: UK-registered NGO focused on genocide prevention and remembrance, with major programs in Rwanda including the Kigali Genocide Memorial—directly comparable given RCN's Rwanda-centered founding mission and remembrance mandate.
• Avocats Sans Frontières: Belgium-headquartered NGO providing legal aid and judicial capacity-building in developing countries—comparable given RCN's legal clinics and justice system strengthening work in DRC, Rwanda, and Morocco.
• CNAPD (Coordination Nationale d'Action pour la Paix et la Démocratie): Belgian NGO platform coordinating peace and democracy movements—direct peer as confirmed co-partner on armed-conflict training modules and shared Belgian peace-education ecosystem.
• Justice et Paix (Commission for Justice and Peace): Belgian Catholic NGO advocating for peace, human rights, and citizenship education—comparable given the co-training activity on armed conflicts at IFC and shared Belgian civic education footprint.

Emerging players

• Centre for Historical Dialogue and Reconciliation: Genocide studies and remembrance-focused center addressing the legacy of the genocide against the Tutsi—comparable niche focus on memory work and critical citizenship in post-conflict society.
• Fondation Hirondelle: Swiss-based media-for-peace and justice NGO producing journalism in crisis-affected countries—comparable as a peer using multimedia (podcasts, video, radio) for civic engagement in transitional contexts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RCNJD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rcn-justice-&-d%C3%A9mocratie
• Instagraminstagram.com/rcn_jd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RCN Justice & Démocratie