An international forum based on children’s rights that conflicts with the law took place on 18 and 19 March in Brussels. The event was organized by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in the framework of the ACCESS project (Access to Justice for Children Accused and Suspected in Criminal Proceedings). The National Network for Children attended the event, and it was represented by Georgi Elenkov, Director of Policies for Children and Coordinator of the Legal Aid Network of the National Network for Children.
The ACCESS project aims to analyze and improve the implementation of Directive (EU) 2016/800 on procedural safeguards for children suspected or accused in criminal proceedings. The baseline study of the project, which covers six countries – Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia – was presented during the forum. The report identifies key challenges related to access to justice for children, such as unequal treatment of vulnerable groups, lack of sufficient legal aid, and difficulties in providing individual assessment and alternatives to imprisonment, recovery services, etc.
Georgi Elenkov actively participated in the discussions, presenting the NNC’s advocacy priorities, data from the monitoring report “Notebook” and the activities of the Legal Aid Network. He focused on the issues related to the full transposition of Directive (EU) 2016/800 and the effective prevention of child criminalization in Bulgaria.
The forum was also attended by a representative of the Association of Prosecutors in the Republic of Bulgaria, who presented the activities of the association under the project “Children’s Path” (with the financial support of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism under the Justice Programme), “, Themis Sees the Child” (supported by the Lachezar Tsotzorkov Foundation) and “Prosecutor for a Day” (implemented jointly with the Royal Prosecution Service, the British Embassy in Sofia, the Centre for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance “Amalipe” and the Youth Foundation “Arete”, without external funding).
Participants in the forum committed to continue the work of the ACCESS project over the next two years through a series of national events in each of the six countries, webinars, and joint advocacy initiatives.
