The project "Minor Rights- Access to Justice for Children at Risk of Social Exclusion" concluded with a final conference that took place on 18 June 2012 at the headquarters of the Committee of the Regions in Brussels.
Children at risk of social exclusion, and mainly those affected by migration and afflicted by poverty, face great difficulty in accessing justice. Poor information, lack of participation in proceedings before judicial authorities, limited possibilities in applying for the appointment of a special representative or obstacles of parents are some of the most important issues involved. Unaccompanied migrant children, children who are de facto without nationality and children living in extreme poverty are some groups of children that face additional challenges.
The project aimed at enhancing knowledge on the current situation of children's rights justiciability and promoting a child-tailored justice system at a national, European and international level, was implemented by the EPLO in partnership with the NGO Save the Children Italy, the Association of Legal Studies on Immigration of Italy, Roma Tre University of Italy, the Institute of Migration Studies of the Comillas Pontifical University of Spain and co-funded by the European Commission.
At the final conference, the results of the research study on access to justice for children at risk of social exclusion, conducted in Greece, Italy and Spain, were pursued, while the Policy Paper and final recommendations to the European Commission and National Institutions were presented.
Mr. Luca Bicocchi, the project coordinator on behalf of Save the Children Italy, gave a welcome speech, and Mrs. Margaret Tuite, Commission Coordinator for the rights of the child, opened the first panel focusing on the EU Strategy on the rights of the child. Mr. Philip D. Jaffé, from the Council of Europe, presented the Council' Guidelines on child friendly justice, and Mrs. Birgit Sippel, Member of the European Parliament, presented the Parliament' strategy on the rights of the child.
During the second panel the results of the project were presented. Mrs. Laura Lavorato, from the Institute of Migration Studies, made a presentation of the results of the desk and field research. Mrs. Sofia Kostantellia, social worker and expert on behalf of the EPLO, presented the views of the children regarding their rights and access to the justice system, as expressed by the children who participated in group activities in Greece, Italy and Spain, followed by a screening of a video produced by the children. Mrs. Silvia Taviani on behalf of Save the Children Italy presented the final recommendations.
At the second part of the conference, three workshops tool place. The first workshop was on the topic "access to justice for migrant children" with Mrs. Irene Claro, from the Comillas Pontifical University of Spain, as moderator and Mrs. Lilana Keith, from the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants, as panelist. The second workshop was on the topic "implementation of the child friendly justice guidelines" with Mrs. Maria Vittoria Catanzariti, from the University of Roma Tre, as moderator, while the third workshop was on the topic "best interest of the child and the right to be heard" with Mrs. Laura Lavorato, from the Comillas Pontifical University of Spain, as moderator and Ms. Catalina Perazzo from La Merced Migraciones, as panelist.
The conference highlighted the following aspects:
- The concern of the scientists in law enforcement related to children's rights, especially the access to the justice system;
- The interest of the parliamentarians, representatives of international agencies and scientists to promote any action that will promote children's needs and rights;
- The persistence of all parties of the project in the coordinated action to conclude the recommendations/guidelines and best practices that will support the children, their rights, their welfare and their future in Europe.
Overall, thirty participants attended the final conference, including experts from the EU Commission (DG Justice), Council of Europe, UN Committee on Rights of the child and MEPs, representatives from the partner organizations, legal experts in the field, social scientists, researchers, academics.
