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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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Juvenile Justice in the CEE/CIS Region: Progress, Challenges, Obstacles and Opportunities
The report 'Juvenile Justice in the CEE/CIS (Central and Eastern Europe/ Commonwealth of Independent States) region: Progress, Challenges, Obstacles and Opportunities', describes the most significant advances made in the development of juvenile justice sy
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Speaking freely: Children and young people in Europe speak about ending violence against children in custody. Research report
Children in custody, like all children, have the right to be free from all forms of violence.This report sets out the findings of research conducted by young investigators in Austria, Cyprus, England, the Netherlands and Romania with children and young pe
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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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Mapping and assessing Child protection systems in West and Central Africa. A five-country analysis paper
This paper was developed on behalf of the Regional Reference Group for West and Central Africa, which included Plan International, Save the Children International and UNICEF. It presents the findings and insights generated through the mapping and assessme
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Juvenile detention in Uganda. Review of Ugandan Remand Homes and the National Rehabilitation Centre
This report contains an overview of the juvenile justice system in Uganda, raises some key child protection issues and gives a report of the conditions of detention for young people in terms of nutrition, facilities, discipline, education, healthcare and
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A Guide to Costing Human Rights
This paper aims to improve the ability of civil society organisations to perform costing exercises for human rights policy by giving an overview of key concepts and definitions relevant to costing human rights policy, outlining steps that every human righ
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Through a new lens: A Child-Sensitive Approach to Transitional Justice
“Through a New Lens: A Child-Sensitive Approach to Transitional Justice” analyzes experiences of four countries—Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Colombia and Nepal—and identifies some key lessons on children’s participation in transitional jus
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Voices from East Jerusalem: The Situation facing Palestinian children 2011
Palestine has released a new report: Voices from East Jerusalem, The Situation facing Palestinian Children. The report addresses the impact of Israel’s unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem, through administrative and legal measures aimed at limiting th
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Research Manual: Child Protection Systems Mapping and Analysis in West and Central Africa- Phase II
This Research Manual provides broad tools to carry out child protection systems mapping and analysis in West and Central Africa using a qualitative research approach. It has been designed to support comparisons across national settings while at the same t
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Children on the move in East Jakarta, Indonesia
The movement of children is inevitable as they or their families seek social, educational, and economic opportunities, safety, or a fresh start. Looking at these children as a group allows the collection of data and the creation of strategies to address t
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Priority to protect: Preventing children’s association with village defence militias in southern Thailand
This joint report from Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers and Justice for Peace Foundation focuses on evidence of the association of boys under the age of 18 with Chor Ror Bor (Village Defence Volunteers), one of the government-established villag
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Case Study. Awareness raising sessions for the heads of municipalities in South Lebanon
In keeping with its mandate to create child friendly systems that promote and protect the rights of all children, Save the Children has conducted awareness raising and capacity building workshops with heads of municpalities in South Lebanon, with focus on