Rodriguez denounces that more than 7 million children are in deprivation of liberty around the world and calls on the European Union to put in place a strategy to put an end to this situation before the end of the current decade, highlighting the important role the EU plays in protecting children, to actively support, from a political and financial level, all policies that address the causes that lead to the deprivation of a child’s liberty. She calls for alternatives to the detention of a child at all stages of the legal procedure and to intensify actions in support of children deprived of their liberty.
Soraya Rodríguez, member of the Renew Europe group, denounces that more than 7 million children are in a situation of deprivation of liberty worldwide, despite the fact that there is no truthful data on what is happening in all countries, especially in totalitarian states.
Rodriguez asked that the report presented to the Commission should be a turning point in the work related to the human rights of children deprived of their liberty. She calls for the European Union and its member states to put in place a comprehensive strategy to end the detention of children by the end of the current decade.
The MEP points out that any period of detention has a profound negative impact on the health and development of the child, which will mark his or her adult life and therefore also mark our collective future.
She points out that the European Union plays a leading role in protecting and supporting children around the world, strengthening access to education, services, health and protecting them from all forms of violence, abuse and neglect. She called for more policies aimed at preventing children from being locked behind bars.
Rodriguez calls on the European Union to actively support, from a political and financial level, all policies adopted by third country authorities, relevant UN agencies, local organisations, in order to address the causes leading to the deprivation of a child’s liberty.
She called for alternatives to the detention of a child at all stages of the legal procedure and to ensure access to basic services for all children, as well as to strengthen the human rights legal framework.
Finally, the MEP calls for a list of priority countries where the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States step up their actions in support of children deprived of their liberty and work with local authorities to introduce or improve child-specific protection mechanisms and legislation.
