In Focus: Access to justice for children
Helping children and families hold those who violate their rights to account
Highlights
Few children in Europe and Central Asia seek justice. Fewer get it. Most children in the region find that their access to justice is blocked by systems that fail to recognize their rights or to take decisions in their best interests, and attitudes that make it unacceptable for children to come forward.
Why does this matter? Because access to justice for children is not only a right in itself. It is also the way to uphold and enforce all of the rights that should be guaranteed for every child, including access to health care, education and protection from violence.
UNICEF champions access to justice for all children whose rights are violated, pushing for justice systems across the region that are truly child-friendly. Access to justice for every child would generate a ‘triple win’ to benefit entire communities and nations, as well as children themselves.
- It would reinforce human rights.
- It would reinforce the rule of law.
- It would support sustainable development by upholding and enforcing the rights of every child to education, health care, social protection and a host of other rights.
