New York: With the 2021 World Congress on Justice with Children approaching, UNICEF released new data about children held in detention globally, and call for juvenile justice reform to end detention of all children

Issue at hand

  • Globally an estimated 261,000 children are held in detention (actual number warned to be much higher)
  • Justice systems are ill-equipped to handle needs of children
    • Children often held in confined and overcrowded spaces, lacking adequate access to nutrition, healthcare an hygiene services
    • Children are vulnerable to neglect, physical and psychological abuse and gender-based violence
    • Vulnerability exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with children being detained for violating curfew orders and movement restrictions

Children in detention

Developments

  • April 2020: UNICEF drew attention to children in detention being at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 and called for children’s immediate release
  • By November 2021: More than 45,000 children released from detention and safely returned home/to a carer in 84 countries

UNICEF calls on governments and civil society to

  • Invest in legal rights awareness for children in justice and welfare systems, especially for the most marginalized children
  • Expand free legal aid, representation, and services for all children
  • Prioritise prevention and early intervention in child offending and diversion to appropriate alternatives
  • End the detention of children, including through legal reforms to raise the age of criminal responsibility
  • Ensure justice for child survivors of sexual violence, abuse or exploitation, including investing in child and gender-sensitive justice processes
  • Establish specialised child-friendly courts, and virtual and mobile courts

 

 

Childhub

You might like..

0
66
Consortium for street children has published the first in a series of child-friendly videos on street children's rights during the Covid-19 pandemic. These are child-friendly videos created to help children understand their rights and how these…
0
351
“Validity Foundation, PRISM Impresa Sociale s.r.l. (Italy), Bulgarian Centre for-not-for-profit Law (Bulgaria), and Center for Legal Resources (Romania) invite you to join our Webinar Series on Child-Friendly Justice for children deprived of…
no
0
50
Children come into contact with the justice system in many different ways. This can be for family matters such as divorce or adoption, in administrative justice for nationality or immigration issues or in criminal justice as victims, witnesses or…
0
37
This is a child-friendly resource for teaching children about the justice system and how a child-friendly one involves their participation. This includes introducing the people they may encounter, such as police officers and lawyers, as well as…
0
29
In the period between January and April 2016, the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention of Moldova (NCCAP) produced a series of video clips on the subject of child-friendly justice. The videos are designed for the specialists who…
0
8
  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Terre des hommes is calling on States to release all children from immigration detention and accelerate the release of children deprived of liberty in criminal justice or protection facilities. Urgent attention…
yes
0
11
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Terre des hommes is calling on States to release all children from immigration detention, and to accelerate the release of children deprived of liberty in criminal justice or protection facilities. Urgent attention…
0
33
This document is a complement to the report by the European Union Agency For Fundamental Rights that examines the perspectices and expereinces of children involved in judicial proceedings. Taking into consideration that about 2.5 million…
0
53
Around 2.5 million children participate in judicial proceedings across the European Union (EU) every year, affected by parental divorce or as victims of, or witnesses to, crime. Although their effective participation in such proceedings is vital for…
0
22
The justice system in Croatia has changed its approach in dealing with child witnesses, to make it more child-sensitive and prevent additional trauma for the most vulnerable victims. Thanks to the contribution of UNICEF, Ministry of Justice…
yes
0
167
Terre des hommes Kosovo addressed a public letter to the Minister of Justice, Ms. Albulena Haxhiu, requesting the release of all children deprived of liberty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Terre des hommes is calling on the Ministry of Justice and…
0
42
The Network of Children's Organizations of Serbia wants to find out how a pandemic of a virus corona affects children. Your answers will help us find out what you think is most important to children at the moment, how you feel and what you care most…
0
10
Council of Europe has produced a handbook that contains comprehensive guidance for frontline professionals working with migrant minors on how to communicate information about children`s rights in a child-friendly and age-appropriate manner. The…
0
10
The Bács-Kiskun County Child Protection Organizations held a professional conference on the effective operation of the signalling system and child-friendly justice on the International Day for Children’s Rights and the Prevention of Violence…
0
19
Child helplines can not only protect but also can provide appropriate services to children who are in need and their role has become crucial during this Covid-19 pandemic as the first point of contact to children. Child Helpline…