DCI Calls for Urgent Action to Protect Internally Displaced Children at 59th UN Human Rights Council
On 23 June 2025 — At the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Defence for Children International (DCI), on behalf of the NGO Panel on Children Deprived of Liberty, issued a call to safeguard the rights of internally displaced children facing high risk of detention, exploitation, and systemic neglect.
“Displacement strips children of the safety nets that protect them from violence and coercion,” DCI declared, highlighting how organised criminal activity, poverty, and lack of services create a perfect storm where liberty is too often replaced by incarceration.
The statement also welcomed the launch of the Roadmap for Action 2025–2030, reaffirming the international community’s duty to move away from punitive systems and toward humane, child-centred alternatives.
“Depriving displaced children of liberty only deepens their trauma and derails their futures. The time for rights-based, cost-effective alternatives is now.”
Read the full statement here (in English).
Watch the Statement: