International Standards and Findings from 10 EU Member States

ALL children have the right to protection. ALL children have the right to access justice. 

This report synthetises international law and standards on access to justice and apply these specifically to children with mental disabilities within the European context. Important European developments are also considered, including the Council of Europe’s Guidelines on Child-friendly Justice, the Charter of Fundamnetal Rights of the European Union, and the European Convention on Human Rights.

From these standards, eleven indicators have been developed for the purpose of accessing the extent to which governments are taking steps to improve access to justice for children with mental disabilities in their national context. They include structural indicators relating to national law, policy and monitoring frameworks and processes indocators relating to the participation of children in justice prosesses and facilitating access to justice.

This publication has been produced with the financial support of the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the Mental Disability Advocacy Center and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.