Webinar: The Right of the Child to Access Justice and Effective Remedy

Discussion with CRC Committee Members about Key Challenges and Regional Perspectives

Ensuring that children can claim their rights and obtain redress when they are violated is central to ensuring that children’s rights are not only recognized but also enforceable. Access to justice is fundamental to the realization of all other rights and to the accountability of duty bearers. Yet, children globally continue to face legal, procedural, social, and structural barriers in seeking justice and effective remedies.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is currently developing a General Comment on the right of the child to access justice and effective remedy in view of providing authoritative guidance to States to support the development and implementation of laws, practices and mechanisms. 

The webinar aims to foster a public discussion and awareness on the key issues, debates, and regional particularities related to children’s access to justice, with a focus on specific challenges such as customary justice, children in armed conflict, victims of (online) sexual abuse or violence, and collective violations of children’s rights.

Objectives

1. Explore Key Issues: Discuss the main challenges and debates surrounding children’s access to justice and effective remedies.
2. Regional Perspectives: Highlight regional particularities and how they impact children’s ability to seek justice and remedies.
3. Specific Contexts: Address critical issues such as: 
   • Customary justice systems
   • Access to remedies and reparation for children victims of armed conflict
   • Children as victims of (online) sexual abuse or violence
   • The capacity of children to access justice autonomously
   • The role of Interdependent Children’s Rights Institutions in facilitating access to justice and remedies
   • Alternative forms of access to remedies
   • Access to justice in cases of collective violations of children’s rights

1. Engage Stakeholders: Provide a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue among CRC Committee members, academics, students, and practitioners.
2. Promote the future GC 27 : first public presentation of the future GC27 that will be adopted by the CRC Committee in 2026

Target Audience

• Students and alumni of CIDE and CRA’s programs and other CREAN Member Institutions
• PhD students and post-doctoral researchers
• Academics and practitioners in the field of children’s rights
• A broader audience interested in children’s rights and access to justice

Program

Description	Time	More information
Welcome & Introduction	15:00 - 15:10	Roberta Ruggiero (CIDE) & Benoit Van Keirsbilck (CRC Committee)
Dialogue Session	15:10 - 17:30	Moderated by Roberta Ruggiero Panelists: CRC Committee Working Group on Access to Justice
Q&A	17:30 - 17:50	Moderated by Simon Nehme (CRA-CIDE)
Closing Remarks	17:50 - 18:00	Roberta Ruggiero and Benoit Van Keirsbilck

 

 

2 February 2026
15:00 – 18:00 CET

REGISTER via ZOOM

Format: Online 

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