Editorial of special focus: Selected developments in the area of children deprived of liberty

Abstract

The UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty (2019) unequivocally regards the detention of children as a form of structural violence. It not only leaves children stigmatised and marginalised for life, but also entirely forgotten by those adults who, in fact, should be protecting them. Despite irrefutable evidence of the harm detention inflicts on the physical and mental well-being of children, they continue to be detained in conditions that often leave them vulnerable to abuse and other severe human rights violations. This in turn has a severely negative impact on their development, stability and future prospects. Childhood encompasses the formative years of a human being and constitutes a period during which the personality of children is moulded and their ability to form emotional relationships defined. Depriving children of liberty during these crucially important years constitutes an enormous injustice. Yet, it remains one of the most overlooked violations of children’s rights.