Submitted by Crintern on
This report is part of CRIN's access to justice for children project, looking at the status of the CRC in national law, the status of children involved in legal proceedings, the legal means to challenge violations of children’s rights and the practical considerations involved in challenging violations.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child has been incorporated into Paraguayan law allowing children to directly use it in national courts, and the State has signed the third protocol on a complaints procedure, which is waiting ratification. Children have full petitioning powers before any governmental office, as well as in court, protected by a definition of abuse that extends beyond criminal laws. NGOs have successfully sought collective Habeas Corpus writs to challenge poor incarceration conditions for children, even going as far as to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. However, most law repeals must be sought independently and only affect any given case.
