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Children in conflict with the law
‘Children in conflict with the law’ is defined as anyone under 18 who comes into contact with the justice system as a result of being suspected or accused of committing an offence. In some cases, children who engage in criminal behaviour have been used or coerced by adults. Most children in conflict with the law have committed petty crimes, some of which are not considered criminal when committed by adults. Children are arrested and detained by police and sent to institutions, including prisons, under systems of justice which in many cases are set up for adults. Save the Children advocates for child-friendly juvenile justice measures that place children’s best interests at their core.
Very often when a child comes into conflict with the law it represents a fundamental failure to fulfil that child’s rights to adequate care and protection at an earlier point in their lives. Large numbers of children in conflict with the law are socio-economic victims, denied their rights to education, health, shelter, care and protection. Many of them have had little or no access to education. Many are working children and some have left their homes and taken to the streets to escape from violence and abuse at the hands of their families. Once having entered the justice system children are often held in detention for long periods awaiting trial.This makes them vulnerable to further violence and abuse.
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Building Alternatives: Supporting Afghan women and children in conflict with the law
This research report highlights the depth and breadth of the challenges facing the Afghan justice system both in terms of utilising alternatives to detention and incarceration, and in the system more broadly. It demonstrates the value of these approaches
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Guidelines Manual on Juvenile Justice Best Practices: An evidence-based approach to the justice reforms in Kenya
In Kenya – while official statistics are not available – children held in custody in statutory institutions may be around 3,000 in any given day. Though Juvenile Justice Actors have legal and ethical obligations towards them, policy makers and practitione
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Refugee Children in Conflict With the Law in Bethlehem
Through interviews, focus groups, a literature review, and questionnaires, this report strives to provide a detailed picture of the status of refugee children in conflict with the law in the Bethlehem Governorate. The research questions driving this study
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Protecting children’s rights in criminal justice systems. A training manual and reference point for professionals and policymakers
Children in conflict or contact with criminal justice or welfare agencies either as children in need of protection, children at risk, on arrest, during trial, in detention or as victims and witnesses, are often in a vulnerable position, unaware of their r
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Creating a Non-Violent Juvenile Justice System. Report 2013
The International NGO Council on Violence Against Children is launching its latest report, "Creating a non-violent juvenile justice system", as a follow-up to the 2006 UN Study on Violence against Children. This report has been written to address the grow
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Legal Assistance Toolkit for Children and Children's Rights Organisations
This toolkit is designed to explain the ways that legal assistance can be obtained free of charge for children and children's rights organisations, to review the international standards that underlie children's right to legal assistance, and to clarify th
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Justice for Children in Bangladesh: An analysis of recent cases
Over the last few decades, there has been an increased understanding worldwide of the vulnerability of children, and the consequent need for the protection of their rights and interests. The UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was drawn up as
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Child Protection and Child Friendly Justice: Lessons Learned from Programmes in Ethiopia. Executive Summary
This publication is a summary of a research study report entitled " Introducing Child Protection and Child Friendly Justice in a Society with Complex Socioeconomic Challenges: Experiences and Lessons Learnt from Ethiopia, 2011". It highlights the interven
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Moving Forward: Implementing the ‘Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children
The handbook 'Moving Forward: Implementing the ‘Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children,’ was developed by the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELSIS) together with a team of child protection experts, governments, UN A
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Situational Analysis of Children at Risk in Bulgaria
This Situational analysis was realized in the framework of the international project Mario – Joint Action to Protect Children from Exploitation in Europe funded by the OAK Foundation. In 2009, ECPAT Bulgaria published and disseminated the first Situationa
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Speaking freely: Children and young people in Europe take action on ending violence against children in custody. Campaign Report
This report is published as part of the Ending Violence against Children in Custody project, coordinated by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) and funded by the European Commission’s Daphne III programme. The Ending Violence against Childre
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Stop making children criminals
Criminalising children causes persisting harm not only to the overall development of many children but also of human societies. It encourages a spiral downwards by children into further offending and increasingly violent offending which often extends into