The Court hosts conference on empowerment and rehabilitation of girls in armed conflicts
On 27 April, the Court and the Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict co-organised the conference “Rebirth: Empowerment and Rehabilitation of Girls in Armed Conflicts”, aimed at contributing to a broader transnational dialogue on the protection, empowerment, and rehabilitation of girls in armed conflicts.
In his opening remarks, the President of the Court, Mattias Guyomar, spoke about how the Court interprets the European Convention on Human Rights to protect children’s rights and their best interests, including in the context of armed conflict. He also spoke about the Court’s work in protecting the rights of children in the context of the war in Ukraine.
President Guyomar highlighted that the Court ensures the continued protection of children’s fundamental rights and that violations of rights of children affected by armed conflict do not go unaddressed but result in concrete, legal accountability. “In peacetime, as well as in war. Not only in theory, but through judicially enforceable accountability,” he concluded.
Alongside President Guyomar, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Frazier, and the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the situation of children in Ukraine, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, delivered opening remarks.
The conference also featured an introduction to the Court’s mandate and relevant activities by Vasilka Sancin, judge elected in respect of Slovenia, and a presentation of the Project Rebirth by Laura Guercio, Secretary-General of the Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict.
A session chaired by judge Sancin was also dedicated to the Court’s jurisprudence relevant to children affected by armed conflict. Ioannis Ktistakis, judge elected in respect of Greece, addressed the topic of “Girls affected by Armed Conflict in the Strasbourg case-law: vulnerability, positive obligations, and rehabilitation under the Convention”, while Mykola Gnatovskyy, judge elected in respect of Ukraine, spoke on the topic of “Children in Armed Conflict before the European Court of Human Rights: Insights from the Grand Chamber Judgment in Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia.”
The conference concluded with a working session on human rights protection in conflict-affected contexts and the role of youth in peace and security.