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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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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
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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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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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Introducing Child Protection and Child Friendly Justice in a Society with Complex Socioeconomic Challenges: Experiences and Lessons from Ethiopia
Save the Children Sweden (SCS) has been sturdily engaged in the promotion of the rights of children and has ardently supported child protection and child friendly justice (CFJ) endeavours in Ethiopia. This document identifies, organizes and presents best
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Evitando la revictimización: Desarrollo de la entrevista a niños, niñas y adolescentes
The protection of children and adolescents against suffering during the justice process is a right guaranteed by the international rule approved by the United Nations on the questioning of child and adolescent victims and witnesses of violence and crimes.
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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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Terre des Hommes thematic policy on juvenile justice
The thematic policy summarizes Terre des hommes’ (Tdh) approach to juvenile justice. Section I covers definitions of juvenile justice, restorative justice and an analysis at global level; Section II describes the interventions such as the promotion of alt
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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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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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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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Mapping Child Protection Systems in Place for Palestinian Refugee Children in the Middle East
Palestinian refugee children growing up in the context of the protracted conflict are particularly vulnerable and in need of protection. This report analyses the child protection systems in place for Palestinians in the oPt and Lebanon and makes a number
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What have I done? The experiences of children and families in UK immigration detention: Lessons to learn
This research investigates the experiences of UK immigration detention of children and their families. Numerous research studies and inspection reports have highlighted that the experience of detention, even for a relatively brief period of time, has a de