A group of law students from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) were awarded the Desafío Pro Bono 2025 on March 5 for their podcast initiative, JustaMente. The project aims to address why many people with disabilities and neurodivergences in Peru cannot fully exercise their rights despite legal recognition.
The award was given by the Alianza Pro Bono, a network of twenty leading Peruvian law firms. With this support, JustaMente will receive legal guidance, initial funding, and technical assistance to further its mission.
JustaMente was created by PUCP students Sara García, Victoria Ángeles, and Daniela Beisaga after discussions about the barriers faced by people with disabilities in accessing justice. “There are many people who do not know they are being discriminated against because discrimination is so normalized that it goes unnoticed,” said García. The students observed that complex legal language and institutional procedures often serve as additional obstacles for those lacking clear or accessible information.
Beisaga explained that out of more than three million people with disabilities recorded in the 2017 census, only about 900,000 are registered to vote. “The rest must go through a lengthy judicial process to register, which leads many to opt out altogether,” she said. Ángeles added that the project’s goal is not only to inform but also empower individuals: “The idea is not just to inform but to empower so they can exercise their rights autonomously.”
JustaMente will be available as an audiovisual podcast on Spotify and YouTube and plans to include real testimonies, expert interviews, and accessible legal explanations. If funding allows, sign language interpreters may also be incorporated into future episodes.
Javier de Belaúnde, professor at PUCP’s Faculty of Law who teaches Justice System and Constitutional Fundamentals of Process courses, described Desafío Pro Bono as “a prestigious contest—highly competitive and with great social impact—which has brought together law students nationwide for fifteen years.” He noted that all aspects of JustaMente’s design were developed exclusively by García, Beisaga, and Ángeles: “All credit for designing the plan—identifying the problem area and beneficiary population—belongs solely to Sara, Daniela and Victoria.”
With continued support from Desafío Pro Bono organizers and their university training focused on practical issues in access to justice, JustaMente seeks to make legal knowledge more inclusive for vulnerable populations.
