On 25 October, Manfred Nowak was selected as the independent expert to lead the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty. As a professor of international law and human rights, as well as a former UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Mr Nowak has consistently demonstrated his commitment to the issue of children’s rights.
The Study will adopt a broad approach to addressing the deprivation of liberty of children in different forms. These include children in conflict with the law; children confined due to physical or mental health or drug use; children living in detention with their parents; immigration detention; children detained for their protection/national security etc. It will collect qualitative and quantitative data on the issue of children in detention, while also identifying instances of good practices (non-custodial measures, restorative justice) which work in the best interests of the child. A large range of actors will be involved in the process. These include UN agencies and experts, member states, civil society organisations, academia, and children themselves.
The UN Inter-Agency Task Force on the Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty has selected IDC Advocacy Coordinator Ben Lewis as an Independent Expert on the Study’s Advisory Board. Comprising of leading experts from different regions, the Advisory Board will play a critical role in providing technical advice and substantial support to the work of the Independent Expert.
On 22-23 Nov, Mr Nowak will meet with NGOs and Member States in Geneva.
The IDC welcomes the implementation of this study and looks forward to contributing to its development.