Justice and Consumers

Online Registration Now Open for the Workshop “Getting more children and young people to participate in the workings of democracy” within the framework of the annual European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) that will take place between 10-11 October 2022. The workshop will take place on 12 October 2022. During the session, some of the beneficiaries of ongoing projects under CERV will present inspiring actions on youth participation that provide pathways for children and young people to become engaged in the democratic lives of their communities.

Within the framework of the 4th Public Participation and Deliberative Democracy Festival organised by JRC between 20-21st October 2022, registration has opened for the JUST-EACEA hybrid seminar to present ongoing projects under the CERV programme that aim to empower children and young people. The seminar will take place on 20 October 2022. During the session, some of the beneficiaries will present inspiring actions on youth participation that provide pathways for children and young people to become engaged in the democratic lives of their communities.

Digital participation, empowerment and protection finely balanced in the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+). The new strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+), adopted on 11 May 2022, will ensure that children are protected, respected and empowered online in the new Digital Decade, in line with the European Digital Principles. A child-friendly version of the BIK+ Strategy is also available.

FRA has opened an online survey on persons displaced from Ukraine. The survey will collect the views and experiences of people fleeing the war in Ukraine. It addresses a wide range of issues related to their stay in the EU, including access to employment, education, housing, healthcare, language learning and other issues affecting their social and economic integration. The survey will be carried out in ten EU Member States: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain. The outcome of the survey will inform the EU and its Member States as well as the organisations working with displaced people so that projects and laws can be initiated that help support the people fleeing from the war in Ukraine. To contribute to the open online survey please visit the link below.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has published a set of training materials on Alternatives to detention for migrant children. The materials cover the international and EU legal framework of alternatives to detention for children and related rights, such as the right to liberty and prohibition of immigration detention of children. The materials aim to support efforts to ensure that children are never detained for purposes of immigration control, in accordance with international standards. The materials provide specific good practice examples of alternatives, such as case management or placement of migrant children in mainstream child protection systems. Module III. details the right to be heard and procedural rights of children, and Module IV. covers communication with children in this context. The training modules are aimed for national judges, lawyers, state authorities, guardians, social workers, and other practitioners.

Child-friendly templates for better communication, task forces to guide young repeat offenders and artistic expression courses in prison: these are just some of the good practices identified in a new report on safeguards for children in criminal proceedings from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). It identifies shortcomings in national justice systems and suggests potential remedies that countries could follow to uphold children’s rights in the judiciary.

Artificial Intelligence-based internet and digital technologies are growingly used by children, with one in three internet users globally being under 18 years old. AI undoubtedly offers children many opportunities, but it also raises the risk of compromising their rights, such as their right to protection, participation, education and privacy. Most of the existing policy initiatives and research that seek to mitigate the risks and augment the benefits of AI-based technologies for children do not focus on the need for interaction among stakeholders. When designing policies, the more stakeholders interact, the more we can ensure that all sides’ perspectives are considered. The report “Artificial Intelligence and the Rights of the Child” from the Joint Research Centre recommends requirements for trustworthy AI, highlights methods for more effective engagement between stakeholders, and identifies the knowledge gaps that need to be addressed as priority in the short- and medium-term for developing AI in line with children’s rights.