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The aim of the 'Child-Friendly JT' project is to contribute to the effective application of European Union criminal law, specifically to promote the rights of children suspected or accused of a crime.
The project, coordinated by Fundación Diagrama, will also contribute to the creation of tools that juvenile justice professionals may apply to guarantee the right to information and the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings.
Specifically, three information leaflets for children in conflict with the law will be created. These leaflets will contain essential information about criminal proceedings according to each stage: police arrest, trial and pre-trial detention. Furthermore, these three leaflets will be translated in order to provide the same information to children who do not speak the language of the country they are in. The leaflets will be written in a simple and adapted language in order to enable children to participate fully in the criminal proceedings.
Three leaflets directed at parents or legal guardians with information about police arrest, trial and pre-trial detention will also be created, since parents play an important role when it comes to helping children understand criminal proceedings, as well as promoting their active participation in these proceedings.
These information leaflets will be translated into official languages of the European Union, as well as into 3 non-official languages.
The effectiveness of these information leaflets will be tested through a pilot study.
A dissemination campaign will be carried out in order to distribute information leaflets and other relevant outputs to ensure that they reach all Member States.
Objectives
- Contribute to the correct implementation of Directive 2012/13/EU on the right to information in criminal proceedings, Directive 2010/64/EU on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings, and Directive EU 2016/800 on procedural safeguards for children who are suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings.
- Promote child-friendly justice by improving the understanding that children in conflict with the law, as well as their parents/legal guardians, have of children’s rights and of relevant information in criminal proceedings.
Events
First partners' meeting
The first partners’ meeting of the project took place on 25th and 26th July 2018 in Brussels (Belgium). The goal of this initial meeting was to coordinate the execution of the first working phase, which consisted of an evaluation of children’s knowledge of the rights they are entitled to throughout criminal proceedings.
Second partners’ meeting
On 29th January, the second partners’ meeting took place in Verona (Italy). The goal of this second meeting was to present the European Comparative Report produced by the International Juvenile Justice Observatory. This contains the results obtained in each of the countries participating in the project, by means of a needs assessment carried out with children serving judicial measures, both those deprived of liberty and those who are not. A mixed investigation methodology was used for this, that is to say, quantitative – using different questionnaires – as well as qualitative – through discussion groups.
Similarly, during the meeting, the creation of six informative leaflets, each one focused on a stage of criminal proceedings, was discussed.
Third partners' meeting
On 13th June 2019, the third steering group meeting of project took place in Sofia (Bulgaria). The main objective of this steering meeting was to give updates on the progress of the project and plan upcoming activities. Partners discussed possible changes that could be made to the child-friendly leaflets. These have been created in order to inform children and their parents or legal guardians of children’s rights during each stage of criminal proceedings, using clear, simple language.
In addition, the meeting was used to discuss the best way to carry out the next stages of the project: the pilot study and the dissemination strategy in order to maximise the leaflet's reach.
The next meeting of the project's partners will be held in Spain this December, along with the final conference.
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