Whether children come into contact with the law as victims, witnesses, offenders or complainants, it is equally important that they are met with a system that understands and respects both their rights and their unique vulnerability.
This idea – that we must take special care with children whose lives have become entwined in the legal system – is the backbone of child-friendly justice, a movement that calls for a dramatic shift in the ways that our justice systems interact with children. Child-friendly justice embraces the idea that courts can be a powerful tool to positively shape children's lives and at the same time recognises the reality that contact with the legal system is all too often more a source of additional trauma than a remedy for children.
Building on international children's rights obligations, child-friendly justice introduces principles that empower children to enforce their rights and encourages government, court, and law enforcement officials to develop policies that address children's precarious situation in the justice system.
Child-friendly justice asks us to appreciate and minimise the challenges that children face at each step in each aspect of a legal proceeding, building confidence in the view of the justice system as a solution to children's legal issues rather than another of an already long list of problems. Respecting child-friendly justice principles will not only eliminate many of the traumatic experiences children face in the legal system, it will foster greater respect for their rights by providing children the full access to justice they need to bring violations of these rights forward.
This page aims to provide information about the obligation to follow child-friendly justice principles; international, regional, and national standards for doing so; studies, research surveys, and position papers on the subject; and other relevant resources. We hope to add to it on a regular basis, and would very much appreciate your help in drawing our attention to additional information on the subject - please email us at info@crin.org with any comments or suggestions.
Further Information:
- CRIN Toolkit on Child-Friendly Justice and Children's Rights
- CRIN OPSC Legal Reform Project on Sexual Exploitation and Child-Friendly Justice
Country reports: Morocco l Japan l Poland - CRIN/Save the Children Statement on Child-Sensitive Justice System before the Human Rights Council
News:
- ARMENIA: Center collaborates with police as part of the juvenile justice in Armenia program (FAR Children's Center)
- TANZANIA: Behind the walls of juvenile detention centres (The Citizen)
- UK: Youth justice reforms must go 'further and deeper' (Children and Young People Now)
- ECUADOR: Juvenile courts don't listen to children (in Spanish) (National Council for Childhood and Adolescence)
- UK: Child sexual exploitation to be tackled by government (The Guardian)
- AZERBAIJAN envisions juvenile justice system (SOS Children's Villages)
- IJJO presents 3 papers on child-friendly justice (International Juvenile Justice Observatory)
- NEW ZEALAND: Reforms target child witness tactics (TVNZ News)
- NEPAL: Govt to Add 8 Juvenile Benches (Republica National)
- UN: Resolution passed on 'Administration of Justice, in particular Juvenile Justice'
- SWAZILAND: Ministry of Justice to set up child-friendly courts (Swazi Observer)
- ARMED CONFLICT: Uncertainty remains over prosecuting child soldiers for war crimes (SOS Children's Villages)
- SPAIN: Testimony of child victims of abuse found to be reliable (in Spanish) (Infancia Hoy)
- ZAMBIA: Detention facilities for juveniles inadequate, says judge Kabuka (The Post Newspapers Zambia)
- USA: Child accused of murder will be tried in juvenile court (Washington Post)
- ISRAEL: How Israel takes its revenge on boys who throw stones (Independent)
- UK: Riots: magistrates advised to 'disregard normal sentencing' (Guardian)
- USA: By helping a girl testify at a rape trial, a dog ignites a legal debate (New York Times)
- EU putting victims first - Minimum rights for crime victims (Gozo News)
- UK: Child victims failed by justice system, says Barnardo's (BBC)
- JAMAICA needs a 'child friendly' justice system (Jamaica Star)
- TAJIKISTAN needs child-friendly justice (Institute for War & Peace Reporting)
New Resources:
- Achieving Justice for Victims of Rape and Advancing Women's Rights: A Comparative Study of Legal Reform (MADRE)
- MEXICO: Guidelines for justice professionals involved in cases affecting children and adolescents (in Spanish) (Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (Mexico))
- Guiding Principles for the Domestic Implementation of a Comprehensive System of Protection for Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups (International Committee of the Red Cross)
- Every Child's Right to be Heard: A resource guide on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comment No. 12 (Save the Children UK)
- Conference Report: Crossroads of Psychology and Law (American University of Armenia, Penal Reform International, U.S. Department of State, UNICEF)
- Ten-Point Plan for Fair and Effective Criminal Justice for Children (Penal Reform International)
- Interviewing Children, their Guardians, and Staff of Juvenile Detention Facilities (Penal Reform International)
- Lima Declaration on Restorative Juvenile Justice (Terre des Hommes, First World Congress on Restorative Justice)
- CANADA: La protection des enfants victimes témoins d'actes criminels au Québec (in French) (International Bureau for Children's Rights)
- Through a New Lens: A Child-Sensitive Approach to Transitional Justice (International Center for Transitional Justice)
- SPAIN: Interviewing preschool child victims about sexual and/or domestic abuse: Effectiveness of forensic interviewing models (in Spanish) (Centre for Legal Studies)
- POLAND: The Abused Child: Theory, Research and Practice (in Polish) (Nobody's Children Foundation)
- Children and Justice During and in the Aftermath of Armed Conflict (Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict)
- Principles of Judicial Ethics for Youth and Family Magistrates (International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates)
- UK: Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance on interviewing victims and witnesses, and guidance on using special measures (UK Ministry of Justice)
- ICELAND: The Ability of Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse to Give Evidence (Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology)
- Children's Participation in Family Law Proceedings (Childwatch International Research Network)
- Results of an International Survey Regarding Children's Participation in Decision-Making Following Parental Separation (Centre for Children and Young People)
- Guidance Note of the Secretary-General: UN Approach to Justice for Children (UN Secretary-General)
- The Right of Children to Be Heard: Children's Right to Have Their Views Taken into Account and to Participate in Legal and Administrative Proceedings (UNICEF Innocenti)
- Programming for Justice: Access for All, A practitioner's guide to a human rights-based approach to access to justice (UNDP)
- Criteria for the Design and Evaluation of Juvenile Justice Reform Programmes (Interagency Panel on Juvenile Justice and UNODC)
- National and international efforts for child justice reform, in particular through improved coordination in technical assistance (UN Secretary-General)
- Handbook on the crime prevention guidelines: Making them work (UNODC and International Centre for the Prevention of Crime)
- Child-Friendly Legal Aid in Africa (UNICEF, UNDP, UNODC)
- No Rights Without Accountability: Promoting Access to Justice for Children (International Development Law Organization)
- Toolkit on Diversion and Alternatives to Detention (UNICEF)
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