A report issued by the Child Rights International Network ranks Cyprus 49th among 197 countries in the world on access to justice for children.
“According to the report, countries like Kenya, India, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Bolivia rated higher than Cyprus,” a “Hope for Children” UNCRC policy center press release says.
The research summarises findings from 197 country reports, researched with the support of hundreds of lawyers and NGOs, and is intended to help countries improve access to justice for children at a national level, the press release explains.
The findings of the report are split into the legal status of the CRC, the legal status of the child, available effective remedies and the practical considerations when violations occur using the national legal system.
Joseph Varughese, Director-General of “Hope For Children” expresses the point of view that “in order to improve access to justice for children, public authorities need to look critically at the whole spectrum of child services linked in one way or another to the justice system: not only police or courts, but also teachers, social workers, psychologists and community stakeholders, all of whom interact with children in their pathways to justice.”
Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Holland, Luxembourg, Kenya, Iceland, Latvia and the United Kingdom take up the top ten spots. Norway ranks 13th, France 21rd, Greece 33rd while Ireland is given the same score as Cyprus.
Uganda and the US follow ranking 51st, Czech Republic is 53rd and Peru 54th. Sweden and Turkey are also given the same score at 54th place, while Germany lags behind ranking 66th and Austria 71st.