New Opinio Juris Piece on Progresses and Persistent Gap in Justice Work for Children
Photo credits: ICRC Archives. Axel Moeschler and Nana Grébizier. Préfecture Kaga Bandoro, Central-African Republic. 19 October, 2022.
JRR wishes to thank Maria Immacolata Fico and Juliette Graf from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights for recognizing JRR’S work in the field of justice for international crimes and violations affecting children in their new piece on Opinio Juris.
In this piece, the authors examen both progresses made in this sector and persistent gaps. On the progress side, the once narrow focus on prosecutions for the recruitment of child soldiers has shifted to include additional categories of harms, including children forced to witness their parents’ execution, the denial of education or its instrumentalization as a weapon of war, etc. Also, many described the methodological mindset shift in considering children not as passive victims but as rights-holders under international criminal law as a turning point, contributing to dismantling many barriers to children’s meaningful participation to justice.
However, recurrent structural barriers, fractured systems, and still pervasive outdated mindsets prevent this enhanced “visibility from translating into justice.” The piece also highlights crucial issues and new to be tackled, such as digital harms and weaponized education, to ensure we keep advancing towards true child-centered justice.
This piece is the result of a roundtable on accountability for children in armed conflict that took place in Geneva a year ago. It was hosted by Save the Children, the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Leiden University.