The International Commission of Jurists has recently published a compendium of good practices across six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia), which also highlights persistent gaps between international legal standards and the daily realities faced by children in these justice systems.
The report focuses on the implementation of the rights of children in conflict with the law, including the right to a lawyer, the right to information, the right to a fair trial, the right to freedom from discrimination, the right to liberty and security of person, and the rights to equality before the law and equal protection of the law. The publication reveals that despite solid legal frameworks, effective implementation is frequently hampered by limited resources, insufficient specialised training, and structural inequalities. The report attributes these inequalities to multiple interrelated factors, including language and communication barriers, inadequate training of professionals, flawed assessments of the child’s age, maturity, mental health, vulnerability, or social background, and systemic biases related to socioeconomic status, disability, or minority background.
To bridge the gap between policy and practice, the compendium outlines promising country-level practices which demonstrate how child-friendly communication, prompt legal assistance, and multi-agency coordination can effectively safeguard the rights of these children.
The compendium is available in English, French, Dutch, Czech, Bulgarian, Polish, and Slovak, as well as a series of child-friendly FAQs on the topic to help children understand judicial proceedings.