Join Child Rights Connect and the New Tactics online community for a discussion on Improving Access to Justice for Children and Teens from October 13th to 17th, 2014.
Children's rights are recognised by almost every State in the world. For rights to have meaning, children must be able to seek justice if they suffer violations. This year is the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most universally accepted treaty guaranteeing rights to everyone under 18. It also marks the entry into force of the Convention’s new protocol, which will allow children and teens to go directly to the UN if their rights are violated and national systems fail.
Despite these advancements, children often face additional obstacles to those encountered by adults because of their dependent status and lack of standing, the potential conflict of interest with their legal representative(s), the lack of information that is available to them, or simply because they are not taken seriously when they need to seek remedies because their rights are violated.
Making justice systems accessible for children takes work at the local, national, regional and international levels, and needs to include children's opinions in the process. In addition to challenges, we will discuss ideas for facilitating children’s access to justice, such as collective complaints, positive representation of children by NGOs or others and protection of the identities of child victims.
This online discussion is an opportunity for practitioners working to expand and improve access to justice for children and teens, to share their knowledge and experience and learn from peers. Join the discussion all week!
Further information
- Read about CRIN's project on Access to justice for children