Guidelines of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on Child-Friendly Justice

Most children are at some point during their upbringing exposed to the legal system, be it through handling divorce, family violence, migration, or adoption processes. Despite children’s frequent interaction with the justice system, the system is not well-adapted for them. In a consultation by the Council of Europe, children and youth reported mistrust in the system, intimidating interactions, lack of child-friendly information, and untimely proceedings, when interacting with the legal system.

In response to these findings, the Council of Europe has adopted guidelines on child-friendly justice, to ensure that the justice system respects and reflects children’s rights. The guidelines can be found in both English and French in the “View and Download”-box.