ICJA is pleased to share the publication of “The Three Pillars of Child-Centred Justice”, an article authored by Professor Fiona Dyer, Cédric Foussard (Chair, ICJA), and Mariana Pérez, published on 26 September 2025 in The Law Society Gazette.
The article highlights why child-centred justice has become a critical necessity as children around the world face intersecting crises: the long-term effects of the pandemic, climate-driven displacement, widening inequalities, armed conflict, and growing online exploitation.
Despite progress in international standards, many justice systems still expose children to direct violence—physical, sexual, psychological—and structural violence including prolonged detention, punitive procedures, and a lack of child-friendly safeguards.
The authors outline three essential pillars emerging from the 5th World Congress on Justice With Children:
- Prevention – prioritising early intervention, community support and non-custodial measures.
- Enabling environments – ensuring safe, child-friendly spaces with trained professionals and multidisciplinary responses such as the Barnahus model.
- Systemic reform – embedding children’s rights and evolving capacities across all legal sectors through comprehensive policy and legislative change.
The message is clear: justice systems must be designed with children at their centre, not as an afterthought.
This article is a call to action for lawyers, judges, policymakers and practitioners to challenge harmful procedures, advance child-friendly reforms, and ensure that justice protects, supports and empowers every child.
ICJA is proud to contribute to this essential global conversation.
