Towards LGBTI+ sensitive justice systems for children in Europe

As part of the 2021 World Congress on Justice with Children (held online in November 2021), child justice and LGBTI+ experts and practitioners examined the challenges that LGBTI+ children in Europe face in accessing justice
and proposed concrete solutions and a call for action.

This Challenge Paper, developed by the Child Friendly Justice European Network (CFJ-EN) and the Global Initiative on Justice with Children (of which PRI is a member), aims to raise awareness of the many ways discrimination can manifest against a child involved in a justice proceeding who self-identifies or is perceived as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex or non-binary.

Justice actors must be equipped to identify and address the specific vulnerabilities that LGBTI+ children can experience in the justice system, in order to prevent further harm. This paper highlights the importance of this issue for policymakers and professionals across Europe, to guarantee the rights of all children that come into contact with the justice system.