Ending violence against children in detention in the EU

This Working Paper draws on recent comprehensive research on children’s experiences of violence within detention facilities across the European Union (EU). It provides an overview of the critical issues related to violence against children (VAC) in these facilities, highlighting the urgent need for action based on evidence. The paper reveals significant gaps in data collection and inconsistencies in legal frameworks across EU countries—issues that violate children’s rights, impact their physical and mental well-being and obstruct effective policy responses.

This research also underscores the particular vulnerabilities of detained children, especially those from minority groups and calls for harmonised practices and coordinated efforts to address these challenges. Nine key recommendations are proposed to improve data collection and monitoring on violence against children in detention, setting essential steps for future reform. The recommendations are aimed at national authorities, EU policymakers and institutions engaged in child protection. They provide a foundation for meaningful action to end VAC within detention settings across Europe.

This brief contributes to the broader goal of ending VAC as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2023-2030 Strategy to End Violence Against Children by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children (SRSG-VAC), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. It aligns with objectives set by the 5th World Congress on Justice With Children—‘Advancing Child-Centred Justice: Preventing and Responding to Violence Affecting Children in Child Justice Systems.’ Additionally, this publication supports the work of the Working Group on SDG16+ Justice for Children and is released in the context of the First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in November 2024 in Bogotá, Colombia and the upcoming 5-year anniversary of the United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty in December 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland.

By advancing these objectives, this paper seeks to promote collaborative efforts to protect children’s rights and drive policy reform within detention systems across the EU.