BELGIUM: State charged with illegal detention of foreign children in 'opinion court'

Submitted by crinadmin on

[8 January 2007] - A group of lawyers and members of children rights organisations have created an 'Opinion Court”, to judge the Belgian state for detaining foreign children in closed detention centres.

For many years, the Belgian state has placed foreign children, sometimes infants, in detention centres, often for a period of several months. Although this has been denounced by children’s rights organisations, doctors, psychiatrists, lawyers, members of Parliament, this very worrying practice continues to take place.

Children do not belong in detention centres: numerous reports have stated that detention is extremely damaging to children’s physical and mental development. The consequences of detention are particularly striking; most of the child’s basic rights are not respected, such as the right to receive an education, the best interest and non-discrimination principles, the respect for the privacy and family life, the prohibition of illegal detention, among others.

As a means of responding to this unacceptable practice, a public “Opinion Court” will be held to judge the state of Belgium on its in/actions on this issue. The event will take place on 17 and 18 January at the 'international associations centre' Washingtonstreet 40, 1050 Brussels. The judgments will be pronounced publicly on 19 January.

This Court will consist of two juries:

An adult jury will be chaired by Mr. Jaap Doek, former chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Six other judges, chosen for their engagement in the protection of children’s rights, will assist Chairman Jaap Doek.

The judges are as follows:

Eugeen Verhellen, Professor in the Gent University, founder of the Children Rights Centre in this university and Vice-President of UNICEF Belgium ;
Nigel Cantwell, Founder of the NGO 'Defence for children – International', consultant in children’s protection;
Gervais Gatunange, Professor in Human rights at the Bujumbura University in Burundi;
Fatna El Bouih, Sociologist, teacher and human rights militant in Morocco.
Réginald de Beco, lawyer in Brussels
Geert Decock, lawyer in Ghent

A children’s jury : composed of young people between the ages of 12 and 18

The initiators of this concept are:

- Jan Fermon, lawyer, Jacques Fierens, lawyer and professor at the Universities of Namur and Liege, Thierry Moreau, lawyer and professor at the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Sylvie Sarolea, lawyer and professor at the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Isabelle Taildon, professor at the 'Haute Ecole Roi Baudouin', Benoît Van Keirsbilck, President of 'Defence for children - international' and director of the 'Children’s rights service” in Brussels, Charlotte Van Zeebroeck, of the 'Children’s rights service” in Brussels,

Should you wish to receive further information on this event, please contact :

Benoit Van Keirsbilck : 00 32 496/51.72.00

Sara-Lou Vertongen : 00 32 476/20.71.97

With the support of :
Sara Lou Vertongen
0032 476/20.71.97
Festival Balkan Trafik
www.balkantrafik.com
www.myspace.com/1001valises
103, Rue Van Aa. 1050 Brussels

Further informaton

Country: 
Belgium
Issues: 
Minority or indigenous children
Refugee and unaccompanied children

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