Europe IPJJ Newsletter, June 09

27 Jun 2009

: the Panel Secretariat newsletter would like to highlight resources relating to the administrative and arbitrary deprivation of liberty of children. *Migrant children, whether accompanied or unaccompanied, child victims of trafficking, children suspected of security-related offences, children with physical or mental health problems and other vulnerable children may find themselves administratively or arbitrarily deprived of liberty for long periods of time, without any possibility to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. Despite the fact that article 37(b) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child requires that deprivation of liberty must be in conformity with the law, a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period of time, the best interests of the child are often ignored and set aside in favour of immigration, security or public order concerns.