HRC 52 (TWITTER FACEBOOK) (1)

NGOs call on member states to repatriate their nationals from Northeast Syria

On March 16 2023, DCI delivered a joint statement at the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council during the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Despite the protection that should be afforded to children by international law, armed conflict places them in situations of extreme vulnerability and risk. Children’s voices from conflict zones, increasingly remind us of their dreams, which are no different from those of any other child: have access to school and education, be protected from violence, among other concerns. Deprivation of liberty is one of the most harmful forms of violence against children. The NGO Panel, in partnership with the UN Task Force and the two SRSGs, organised on 8-9 November 2022 in Mauritania a Global Forum on Children Deprived of Liberty. The Global Forum worked on a Roadmap for Action to accelerate implementation of the Global Study’s recommendations, three years after its presentation to the UN General Assembly.

We call upon all parties to armed conflict:

  • To end the detention of children for their actual or alleged association with armed actors and ensure that children victims of grave violations are swiftly transferred to child protection agencies for reintegration according to agreed handover protocols, with access to age and gender appropriate child protection, MHPSS, education and livelihoods support and services within ¡ communities that also contribute to their acceptance.
  • To adopt and implement standard operating procedures for the immediate and direct handover of children from military custody to appropriate child protection agencies (in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2427);
  • To recognise that children who are detained for actual or perceived association with armed groups are first and foremost victims of grave abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law, and prioritise their recovery and reintegration (in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2427 of 2018 as well as with the Paris Principles and Commitments).

 

We call on all UN member states with nationals detained in northeast Syria for alleged association with the Islamic State to repatriate their nationals as a matter of urgency, giving priority to children, their mothers, and the most vulnerable. 

 

Read the join full statement delivered here.

Download the Roadmap for Action here.

HRC 52 (TWITTER FACEBOOK)

Ending deprivation of liberty: a call for action at the Human Rights Council

On March 16 2023, DCI delivered a statement at the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council during the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against children.

We commend the Special Representative for highlighting that preventing and ending the deprivation of liberty of children are both urgent and possible. We thank the Special Representative for her continued engagement towards the eradication of deprivation of liberty of children, recognising that it is a form of violence that violates their rights. We welcome the Special Representative’s engagement on ending child institutionalisation and for providing specific advice on ending all forms of deprivation of liberty of children during her country visits.

The major outcome of the Global Forum is a Roadmap for Action which is officially launched today. This Roadmap aims at accelerating implementation of the recommendations of the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, and at promoting concerted action and activities among Member States, UN Task Force members, civil society organisations and other stakeholders. Looking forward to this concerted action, it is important to continue to build on, and to use, good practices on alternatives to custodial measures, and gain momentum towards ending the deprivation of liberty of children. We call on Member States:

  • to comply with international human rights standards, including article 37 b) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • to increase the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 16-years-old without exception,
  • to implement the recommendations of the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty.

Read the full statement delivered here.

Download the Roadmap for Action here.

Roadmap cover EN

2023-2024 Roadmap for Action on Justice for Children and Deprivation of Liberty

The Global Forum on Justice for Children and Deprivation of Liberty, held in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on 8-9 November 2022, took stock of the work achieved by the NGO Panel on Children Deprived of Liberty since the publication of the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty (GSCDL) in 2019. The Global Forum identified good practices as well as structural and system changes that prevent deprivation of liberty and facilitate the implementation of alternatives.

 

The Forum adopted a roadmap for action for the follow-up activities carried out by the partners of the Global Study. The roadmap describes the collaborative efforts of a variety of stakeholders integrating a cross-sectoral and multistakeholder approach. The timeframe for the roadmap is 2023-2024, leading up to the five-year anniversary of the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, when progress will be assessed, and next steps defined.

 

The roadmap is work in progress and will be regularly updated. Should your organisation wish to contribute or join the partnership to implement the Global Study recommendations, please write to: globalstudy@defenceforchildren.org

 

Download the 2023-2024 Roadmap here.