Justice and Consumers

The call for tender for setting up the Platform on child participation is now open. Please check the details in the links below and don't miss the deadline: 15 March at 12:00. The purpose of the contract is the establishment, management and coordination of an EU Children’s Participation Platform, including the web content management of the related IT platform. The EU Children’s Participation Platform (CPP) is one of the key actions that the Commission included in the EU Strategy on the rights of the child (2021).

In the 2021 EU Strategy on the rights of the child, the Commission said it would set up a new EU Network for children’s rights. The network will support the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. The network will be composed of Member State representatives, and will include in some of its activities, other relevant stakeholders. The activities of the network will include, among others, meetings, study and peer visits, research activities and training activities. Interested organisations are invited to notify their interest by filling the application form. Make sure to register by 7 February 2022 at the latest!

The calls for proposals under Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programmes (Daphne and Rights of the Child) are still open! A dedicated webinar on the CERV-2022-DAPHNE call aimed to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children will take place on 4 February at 10:00 online. Find the link for registration below.

The call for project proposals reflects the priorities of the EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse and supports its implementation by providing funding in two areas, improving prevention of child sexual abuse and assistance to victims and developing the capacity to effectively fight child sexual abuse. The call is open for public bodies, non-profit entities and international organisations established in an EU country. Not-for profit, public bodies and international organisations established in a non-EU country can apply as co-applicants (with an EU-located entity in the lead). Private profit-making entities can also apply as co-applicants. The deadline for applications is 24 February 2022. All the information about eligibility criteria, general conditions and application process is available on the webpage:

In July 2021, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission published the report "Poverty and Mindsets: How poverty and exclusion affect aspirations, hope and decisions and how to address it". The report looks at how being immersed in poverty and social exclusion for a prolonged period may affect how people consider themselves and their future, and how they act in relation to it. This report focuses on a less-studied obstacle – that is, how poverty and exclusion affect behaviour, aspirations, hope and agency, which can all be essential drivers to social mobility. Evidence suggests that the experience of poverty itself seems to contribute to the transmission of poverty to the next generation. The report gathers and summarises findings from behavioural studies, neuroscience, sociological and economic studies. Bringing together these diverse sources and scientific evidence can help to better understand this complex issue, and to identify countermeasures that may effectively address the problem.

On 14 December 2021 the Court of Justice issued an important ruling. The case concerned a child, who was a minor and a Union citizen, whose Spanish birth certificate designated as parents two persons of the same sex. In this case the Member State of which the child is a national - Bulgaria - is obliged to issue an identity card or a passport to that child without requiring a birth certificate to be drawn up beforehand by its national authorities. Th Member State of nationality is also obliged to recognise the document from the host Member State that permits that child to exercise, the child’s right to move and reside freely within the territory of the European Union with each of its parents.

In this decision the European Court of Human Rights highlights the importance of safeguarding children’s rights during both pre-trial investigations and trial. Safeguards must be in place, which take into account the particular vulnerabilities and needs of a child giving evidence. The ECtHR found Estonia in violation of Article 3 ( Prohibition of Torture) and 8 ( Right to respect of private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as the Estonian justice system failed to take into account the applicants particular vulnerability as a child victim of sexual abuse. The ECtHR referring to international standards found the Estonian procedure violated the ECHR as it did not take into account the particular vulnerability of the child and the corresponding need to afford effective protection of an alleged victim of sexual abuse. The Estonian justice system failed to be child-friendly in its strict application of procedural rules, as it did not provide any exceptions or adaptations for child witnesses. In reaching this conclusion, the court referenced international standards such as the Council of Europe Guidelines on Child Friendly Justice.

This report reviews major developments in fundamental rights in 2021, identifying both achievements and areas of concern. It presents the Fundamental Rights Agency’s (FRA) opinion on the developments, including a synopsis of evidence supporting its opinions. The report examines the rights of the child in Chapter 8. The report’s focus chapter explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented challenge to fundamental rights. The pandemic affected a wide range of rights and had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups. Chapter 8 of the report takes into account the COVID-19 pandemic impact specifically on the rights of the child and the rights of the child in general. In particular, the chapter focuses on COVID-19 exacerbating poverty, children’s rights in asylum and migration, and safeguarding children in judicial proceedings. The pandemic put in danger a number of fundamental rights of children contained in the EU Charter of Fundamental rights, including the right to education ( Article 14) and to the protection and care necessary for children’s well-being ( Article 24). FRA state in their opinions recommend steps to be take both by the European Commission and by member States in order to ensure, the fundamental rights of all children are protected and respected.

The course aims to improve understanding of runaways, equip professionals with the ability to detect and respond to behaviour before a child goes missing, and encourage trust between professionals and children upon their return. More details are included below.

This report has found that in 33% of countries in Europe children above the minimum age of criminal responsibility can be prosecuted for offences committed while below the minimum age. The report and its attached country fact sheets present key trends and gaps that children in contact with the law currently face in Europe. The report focuses particularly on some topics including child-specific legislation, procedural safeguards and status offences. It contains a set of recommendations that aim to build skills and knowledge for professionals working with children in criminal proceedings, create child-centered policies and legislative frameworks and invest in robust monitoring of the situation of children in criminal proceedings.

Edited by Tarja Pösö, Marit Skivenes and June Thoburn, May 5 2021 This book explores how children’s rights are practised and weighed against birth and adoptive parents’ rights and examines how governments and professionals balance rights when it is decided that children cannot return to parental care. From different socio-political and legal contexts in Europe and the United States, it provides an in-depth analysis of concepts of family, contact, the child’s best-interest principle and human rights when children are adopted from care. Taking an international comparative approach to these issues, this book provides detailed information on adoption processes and shares learning from best practice and research across country boundaries to help improve outcomes for all children in care for whom adoption may be the placement of choice.