Child Detention: Advancing the Roadmap for Action on Children Deprived of Liberty 2025-2030 – Side event 61st session of the Human Rights Council

SPEAKERS

Moderator: Mr. Alex Kamarotos, Executive Director, Defence for Children International

Panel:

• Child participant(s)
• Prof. Manfred Nowak, Author of the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty
• Mr. Yao Agbetse, BICE Representative to the UN
• Ms. Siobhan Sparkes McNamara, Global Child Protection Adviser, ICRC
• Mr. Pablo Espiniella, Chief of Staff, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children

CONTEXT

According to the Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty presented at the UN General Assembly in 2019, over 7 million children are deprived of their liberty every year in a wide range of contexts, including justice systems, migration detention, institutions, armed conflict, and national security frameworks. Despite clear international standards affirming that deprivation of liberty should be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time, children continue to be detained in conditions that undermine their dignity, development, and rights.

In response to persistent gaps between international commitments and realities on the ground, the Global Conference on Justice for Children Deprived of Liberty, was held in Geneva from 17 to 19 December 2024, which brought together UN entities, States, civil society, practitioners, academics, and children themselves. Building on this momentum, the Roadmap for Action on Children Deprived of Liberty 2025-2030 was launched in June 2025 following multistakeholder consultations. The roadmap provides a practical framework to translate existing norms and commitments into concrete action at national, regional, and global levels. The event will underscore the strong links between deprivation of liberty and the risk of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

OBJECTIVES

• To reaffirm global commitments to ending the deprivation of liberty of children and ensuring compliance with international human rights standards.
• To present the Roadmap to Action as a practical tool for States, UN actors, and civil society.
• To highlight the links between deprivation of liberty, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment, including from a prevention and accountability perspective.
• To centre children’s voices and experiences in policy and practice discussions.