Annual Report 2024
09

Children

Philippines

In the Philippines, legal assistance provided by our partner, the Children's Legal Rights and Development Center (CLRDC), led to the diversion outside of the judicial system and the release of 17 children. 31 cases of torture and ill-treatment of children have been documented in detention. Extra-judicial killings of children are still ongoing, with 15 cases documented by CLRDC in 2024. Continued advocacy of CLRDC contributed to the draft of a Bill creating a National Preventive Mechanism, discussed in Parliament in January 2025. Thanks to successful discussions with municipalities of the City of Caloocan, a Diversion Ordinance was passed addressing the issue of overcrowding, which will prevent many children from being detained.

Benin

In Benin, ongoing advocacy by partner organisation Enfants Solidaires d'Afrique et du Monde (ESAM) and OMCT led to progress toward restoring access to detention for civil society organisations, with legal clarification of access conditions and interventions. In the meantime, ESAM built the capacity of other organisations, to grant them access to the children’s quarters and monitor abuse inflicted on children.

Brazil

In Brazil, OMCT and the Office of Legal Advice to Popular Organizations (GAJOP) alerted the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child about the severe human rights violations inflicted on children detained in Brazil by submitting an alternative report and a video published on International Children’s Day.

Honduras

In Honduras, our member Centro de Prevencion, Tratamiento y Rehabilitacion de Victimas de la Tortura (CPTRT) documented 10 cases of torture of children in detention, including the death of two. Following some of its monitoring visits, they alerted public opinion about the violent death of two children at the Nueva Jalteva centre and called for its closure. They also publicly called on the authorities not to lower the Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility, which would result in sending more children to detention and environments conducive to torture.

Nepal

In Nepal, following the filing of a Public Interest Litigation case to call for the respect of the right to education of children deprived of liberty, the High Court of Tulsipur, in a unique verdict, ordered the operation of a school on the premises of the detention centre of the Banke district.

Togo

In Togo, awareness-raising dialogues with community and religious leaders about the prohibition of torture against children led to the establishment of an official reporting mechanism for violence against children. Two judicial complaints were filed before the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to get accountability for gun injuries suffered by two children at the hands of the police.

Uruguay

In Uruguay, in January 2024, an administrative appeal of OMCT and network member Servicio Paz y Justicia (SERPAJ) lifted restrictions on visits to detention centres. Monitoring visits shed light on several violations, including the identification of the case of a boy repeatedly beaten up by guards for attempting to escape detention.

Lebanon

In Lebanon, our member organization, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH), conducted 24 monitoring visits to juvenile detention centres in 2024 and provided multidisciplinary assistance, including legal aid, to 18 detained minors who had suffered due process violations. This support led to the release of 10 of them.

Launching the MENA Working Group to Protect Children from Institutional Violence

In 2024, OMCT, in collaboration with the Manara Network, launched the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Working Group to Protect Children from Institutional Violence. The Working Group includes members from both the SOS-Torture Network and the Manara Network, covering 10 countries in the MENA region. One of its key focus areas is the protection of children in conflict with or in contact with the law.