The International Juvenile Justice Observatory, in order to keep on contributing to efficient strategies that stimulate the international development of policies, legislations and appropriate intervention methods, presents the IJJO Campaign: 'Legal assistance for children in conflict with the law'.

The IJJO has carried out a study and analysis on the legal situation of minors in conflict with the law in 175 countries. We invite our users and collaborators to consult the results of this detailed study on the necessity of the right to legal assistance for minor on a global scale. The section IJJO Campaign is a new information and analysis service which provides an international, global and interdisciplinary vision of juvenile justice.

We hope that this campaign will raise the awareness and creates commitment concerning the basic right of legal assistance for minors on an institutional and global level.

Why is legal assistance so important?

Far too often children are locked up in prison conditions which often do not meet the international criteria: sometimes with adults, sometimes for very minor offences or no offences at all. This is considered to be a violation of the law.

Nevertheless the right to defence and legal representation is a fundamental one. Children left alone without any independent legal counsel are not only deprived of their voice, but are also subject to numerous abuses as they are often intimidated and not aware of their rights, although these are guaranteed by almost all of the countries in the world.

Through the creation of a global database of the international and domestic legislation concerning the right to legal assistance for juveniles, we want to motivate states to update their national legislation on juvenile justice in the spirit of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, providing an independent and prompt access to legal aid for every child.

We invite you to consult the Campaign 'Legal assistance for children in conflict with the law' and to tell your contacts about it.

Cédric Foussard
Director
IJJO - International Juvenile Justice Observatory