The United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty

The main message of the Global Study is to urge States to better respect and protect the rights of children by drastically reducing the number of children deprived of liberty. This can be achieved by means of diversion, de-institutionalisation, eradicating migration related detention and applying other non-custodial solutions instead of detaining children. The second most important message is to urge States to give higher recognition to the value of the family as the fundamental group unit of society and, accordingly, invest much more resources in supporting families for their role as primary caregivers for children. The third message is to urge States to adopt a systemic approach to strengthen child justice and child welfare systems and encourage inter-agency cooperation between different stakeholders. Police, prosecutors and judges need to strengthen their cooperation with parents, social workers, teachers, health professionals and all persons involved in the child welfare system with the common aim of assisting children in their personal development, all the while taking into account their agency and right to participate. Together, they should try to avoid, as much as possible, any situation which may finally lead to the deprivation of liberty of children.