1 June - International Children’s Day

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International Day for the Protection of Children - 1 June

Protecting Children's Rights: Building Child-Friendly Justice Systems and Preventing Violence Against Children

Madrid, Spain, 1 June 2026

On the occasion of the International Day for the Protection of Children, 1 June, the Centre for Development and Justice International (CDJI) reaffirms its commitment to protecting the rights, dignity, and well-being of every child and calls for stronger efforts to ensure that justice systems place the best interests of the child at the centre of all decisions and interventions.

According to the United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, hundreds of thousands of children worldwide continue to be deprived of liberty every year in various contexts. The study estimates that between 160,000 and 250,000 children are detained in the administration of justice on any given day, while approximately 410,000 children experience detention over the course of a year, excluding police custody. In addition, an estimated 1 million children are deprived of liberty annually in police custody alone.

The Global Study further highlights that approximately 330,000 children are detained each year in migration-related detention, while around 35,000 children are deprived of liberty in the context of armed conflict. The study also estimates that approximately 670,000 children living in institutions may be legally deprived of their liberty, underscoring the widespread and often hidden nature of child detention globally.

Children remain among the most vulnerable members of society. Around the world, millions of children continue to face violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect, discrimination, and harmful institutional practices that undermine their development and fundamental rights.

According to UNICEF, an estimated 259,000 children were deprived of their liberty in 2024 in the context of the administration of justice. Globally, approximately 15 children per 100,000 remain in detention, despite international standards requiring deprivation of liberty to be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. Furthermore, nearly one in five children worldwide now lives in areas affected by armed conflict, exposing millions to violence, displacement, trauma, and serious human rights violations.

“Children are our future, not only in talks of politician who want to get votes of parents, but don`t consider to invest in them. If we want children who protect their nation, their community, universal values, their future as well as our future in our old age, we have to protect them, listen to their thoughts , value their imputs as fully fletched human beings having the right to live a dignified life with all possibilities to develop to their very best. We have to leave them a world not destroyed by hatred and greed but worth living in it and working for it.”

Renate Winter, Honorary President of the CDJI

Children in Contact with the Justice System

Children may come into contact with justice systems in many different ways - as victims of crime, witnesses, children in conflict with the law, or children requiring protection measures.

However, justice systems are often designed primarily for adults and may fail to adequately address children's specific needs, vulnerabilities, and developmental capacities. Children involved in legal proceedings frequently experience fear, confusion, intimidation, and psychological distress.

International standards, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), require that all children have access to justice procedures that are child-sensitive, age-appropriate, and focused on rehabilitation and reintegration rather than punishment.

Violence Against Children and the Need for Prevention

Violence against children remains one of the most widespread human rights challenges globally. Children may experience violence in their homes, schools, communities, online environments, and institutions, including places of detention and care.

The United Nations has repeatedly highlighted that children deprived of liberty face heightened risks of physical violence, psychological abuse, neglect, and other forms of ill-treatment. Such experiences can have lifelong consequences for mental health, education, social development, and future opportunities.

At the same time, violence against children remains a global crisis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 1 billion children aged 2-17 years experience physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect every year.

Preventing violence against children requires strong legal safeguards, effective child protection systems, trained professionals, independent monitoring, and meaningful participation of children in decisions affecting their lives.

"International Children’s Day, is a day to celebrate, but also a day to reflect. The Convention of the Rights of the Child is clear. Every precious child born to this world we all share should be kept safe and treated fairly. So, whilst we are thankful for the respect for rights and dignity, the care, protection, nurturing, support and opportunities experienced by so many children in our world, we think also of the millions of boys and girls suffering in war zones, horrific post conflict conditions, places blighted by abject poverty and places where the human rights and dignity of children are not valued and respected.

As a Prisoner Ombudsman, I learned a lot about the vulnerability of boys and girls who become young offenders and end up in detention. Children deprived of their liberty are much more likely than other children to have special educational needs; mental health problems, they are more likely to have been excluded from school, experienced poverty, taken into the care system, and so on. For all of us working in criminal justice, helping children who may be vulnerable for any one (or many) of dozens of reasons to become as strong, independent and self-sufficient as they are able, must be at the heart of what we do."

Children Deprived of Liberty

Deprivation of liberty can have profound and lasting effects on children's physical, emotional, and psychological well-being.

The UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty has demonstrated that detention often increases children's vulnerability to violence, social exclusion, interrupted education, and long-term harm. International human rights bodies continue to stress that detention should be avoided whenever possible and replaced by community-based and rehabilitative alternatives.

Independent monitoring mechanisms established under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) play a critical role in safeguarding children deprived of liberty by identifying risks, preventing abuse, and promoting accountability.

"On International Children’s Day, we are reminded that protecting children’s rights must extend to the digital spaces where they increasingly learn, communicate, and develop. The growing prevalence of cyberbullying, online harassment, digital exploitation, and other forms of cyber violence against children requires urgent and coordinated action from governments, technology companies, educators, parents, and civil society. At the same time, protecting children online should never be used as a pretext to impose disproportionate restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms. Effective protection must be evidence-based, child-centred, and grounded in a clear understanding of the specific risks children face in different national contexts. There is no one-size-fits-all solution: challenges affecting children in one country may differ significantly from those experienced elsewhere. We therefore encourage governments to invest in research, meaningful consultation with children and young people, and context-specific policies that genuinely address online harms while preserving the benefits of digital participation. Every child deserves to access the digital world safely, free from violence, abuse, discrimination, and exploitation, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that digital technologies serve as a tool for empowerment rather than harm."

Building child-friendly justice systems requires a multidisciplinary and rights-based approach involving justice institutions, social services, educators, healthcare professionals, and communities.

International frameworks, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Guidelines on Justice in Matters involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime, and the UN Havana Rules, provide important guidance for ensuring that justice systems respect children's rights and developmental needs.

Effective child-friendly justice systems prioritise diversion, rehabilitation, restorative approaches, psychological support, education, and reintegration. They recognise that children are still developing and should be given opportunities to learn, grow, and rebuild their lives.

"International Children’s Day reminds us that every child has the right to grow up in safety, dignity, and freedom from violence. Yet millions of children around the world continue to face abuse, discrimination, deprivation of liberty, and barriers to accessing protection and justice.

Protecting children’s rights requires more than commitments on paper. It requires child-centred policies, strong protection systems, and meaningful efforts to ensure that every child is heard, respected, and given the opportunity to reach their full potential. The way we treat children today will shape the future of our societies tomorrow."

Anel Tileukesh, Head of Programmes at the CDJI

A Call for Action

On this International Day for the Protection of Children, CDJI calls upon governments, justice institutions, international organisations, and civil society actors to:

• strengthen child-friendly justice systems in line with international standards
• prevent all forms of violence against children, including in detention and institutional settings
• reduce the use of deprivation of liberty and expand non-custodial alternatives
• strengthen independent monitoring and oversight mechanisms
• ensure meaningful participation of children in decisions affecting their lives
• invest in child protection, education, rehabilitation, and mental health support services

Protecting children's rights is not only a legal obligation under international law - it is an investment in safer, fairer, and more resilient societies. Every child has the right to grow up in dignity, safety, and freedom, and every institution has a responsibility to uphold that right.

Pauline McCabe, Vice-Chair of the Board of the CDJI

Azamat Shambilov, President of the CDJI

Advancing Child-Friendly Justice

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