Webinar: Torture of Children Deprived of Liberty: Avenues for Advocacy
On Tuesday, May 5, 2015, we hosted a Webinar entitled Torture of Children Deprived of Liberty: Avenues for Advocacy, during which practitioners and experts from around the world discussed the recent thematic report on children deprived of liberty by Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Mendez, addressing its significance for their work on the ground worldwide. The participants also discussed challenges posed by the detention of children worldwide in a variety of settings, including detention in prisons, institutions outside the criminal justice system, and immigration detention facilities.The Webinar featured talks by the Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Mendez; Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Vice-Chairperson of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; Jo Becker, Advocacy Director, Children’s Rights Division, Human Rights Watch; and Ian M. Kysel, Dash/Muse Fellow, Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown Law Human Rights Institute.
IN MARCH 2015, SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON TORTURE JUAN E. MENDEZ ADDRESSED THE 28TH SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO PRESENT HIS LATEST THEMATIC REPORT ON THE TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT OF CHILDREN DEPRIVED OF THEIR LIBERTY.
This page provides information about the report’s key findings, the report’s presentation and a side-event on juveniles deprived of liberty at the Human Rights Council, and our #StopChildTorture campaign.
In this report, the Special Rapporteur seeks to explore the international legal framework and standards protecting children deprived of their liberty from being subjected to torture or other ill-treatment and from experiencing developmentally harmful and torturous conditions of confinement. He concludes that children deprived of their liberty are at a heightened risk of torture and ill-treatment due to their unique vulnerability and needs. In this context, he finds that the detention of children is inextricably linked – in fact if not in law – with the ill-treatment of children, due to the particularly vulnerable situation in which they have been placed, exposing them to numerous types and situations of risk. You can read the official United Nations press release on the Special Rapporteur’s report – “Detention is inextricably linked with ill-treatment, children must be protected” – here.
Watch the Special Rapporteur discuss his report in this new VIDEO!
View these infographics to learn about some of the report’s key findings…
According to some more key conclusions of the Special Rapporteur’s report…
Detention of children should be used only for the shortest possible period of time, only if it is in the best interest of the child, and limited to exceptional cases.
States should adopt alternatives to detention for children whenever possible.
Minimum age of criminal responsibility must be no lower than 12 years old and be progressively raised
No life sentences without parole for children (and even lengthy sentences can be grossly disproportionate and amount to ill-treatment).
No use of restraints for children deprived of their liberty under any circumstance.
No solitary confinement for children deprived of their liberty.
No death penalty for children deprived of their liberty.
No corporal punishment for children deprived of their liberty.
No immigration detention (detention of children based on migration status is never in the best interests of child, is grossly disproportionate, and constitutes ill-treatment).
Special attention should be paid to children deprived of their liberty in health- and social-care institutions, including in private settings.