On Wednesday 11 March, Defence for Children International (DCI), Bureau International Catholique de l’Enfance (BICE) and the NGO Panel on Children Deprived of Liberty, a coalition of 175 civil society organisations, hosted a side event at the 61st Session of the Human Rights Council titled “Child Detention: Advancing the Roadmap on Children Deprived of Liberty 2025-2030”.
The discussion focused on the Roadmap for Action on Children Deprived of Liberty 2025-2030, launched in June 2025, which provides a framework for translating existing international norms and commitments into concrete action. Each year, more than 7 million children are deprived of their liberty in contexts including justice systems, migration, and armed conflict.
Opening the event, Mr. Alex Kamarotos, Executive Director of Defence for Children International, emphasised the importance of renewed commitments from states and international actors.
“Today’s discussion aims to reaffirm… the commitments of states, to highlight the links between deprivation of liberty and the risk of torture, ill-treatment, and explore how the Roadmap can support meaningful progress,” he said.
The panel opened with a testimony from Zain, a Child Advocate from Palestine, who shared the experiences of Palestinian children facing deprivation of liberty.
“When a child is deprived of liberty, they do not only lose their freedom of movement,” he said. “They lose part of their childhood, the warmth of their families and the sense of safety that every child needs.”
Zain highlighted the lasting psychological and emotional impacts of deprivation of liberty on children and their communities, urging the international community to strengthen “efforts to protect children from detention, ensure that their rights are respected and work toward alternatives to prioritise the best interests of the child.”
As an example of work inspired by the Roadmap, Mr. Yao Agbetse, BICE Representative to the United Nations, presented the Lomé Declaration, an initiative bringing together Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Togo to promote restorative justice, alternatives to detention, and improved reintegration support for children.
“The implementation of the Global Study, its recommendations, requires a renewed political will, and it must be translated into concrete steps,” Mr. Agbetse said, calling on other states to create joint frameworks for action.
Addressing the importance of reliable evidence, Professor Manfred Nowak, author of the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, stressed the need for improved monitoring, data collection, and continued research. He commented, “We don’t have any kind of systematic comparable data to measure regression of the progress… and without that, accountability is impossible.”
He underscored that translating research into effective global action requires sustained follow-up and commitment.
Shifting the discussion to the detention of children, Ms. Siobhan Sparkes McNamara, Global Child Protection Adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), emphasised that many children associated with armed groups are treated as offenders rather than victims of rights violations.
She stressed the need for stronger child-sensitive approaches that “prioritise recovery and reintegration and ensure continuity of care across the transition to adulthood”.
Closing the discussion, Mr. Pablo Espiniella, Chief of Staff, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, said “We are discussing today the same as last year, the same as the year before, in a context right now where the the world is [at] a deep, terrible crossroad”.
Mr. Espiniella warned that action must be taken and highlighted three key priorities of the office: establishing robust legal and policy frameworks, investing in data, research and evidence generation, and ensuring meaningful participation of children and young people.
Speakers emphasised that the Roadmap will only succeed if governments and international partners translate commitments into action for the best interest of children worldwide.