1. July 2018

2. Children’s rights in the Council of Europe: key topics and landmark judgments
Wouter Vandenhole

3. Migration
ECt.HR
Detention of unaccompanied/accompanied minors (Mubilanzila Mayeka v Belgium; Tarakhel v Zwitserland; S.F. v Bulgaria)
detention (art. 5): strict necessity: best interests of child – measure of last resort
conditions (art. 3):
extreme vulnerability > illegality
asylumseekers + children: special protection: individual guarantees: taken charge of in a manner adapted to the age of the children / family be kept together
Family life (art. 8)
detention of family (Popov v France)
refusal to mother to reside in Netherlands with children: unlawful stay – BI significant weight (Jeunesse v Netherlands)

4. Migration (cont’d) RESC
Personal scope RESC: Appendix: => undocumented children?
Right to medical assistance/protection of health (FIDH v France) (DCI v Belgium)
Right to shelter (not adequate housing) (DCI v Netherlands, 2009)
Right to economic, social and legal protection (DCI v Belgium, 2012)
[Undocumented adults: right to social assistance - right to shelter (FEANTSA v Netherlands; CEC v Netherlands, 2014)] [

5. Children in family proceedings
Parental abduction
application for return
grave risk: going beyond what a child might reasonably bear
ECtHR 26 November 2013, X. v. Latvia
Custody proceedings
child’s wishes – involvement in proceedings
ECtHR 3 September 2015, M. & M. v. Croatia
Residence disputes
Duly involved – BI
ECtHR 2 February 2016, N. TS. v. Georgia

6. Children in family proceedings (cont’d)
Paternity disputes
ECtHR 14 January 2016, Mandet v France
Placement into care
~ poverty
ECtHR 16 February 2016, Soares de Melo v Portugal
~ illegal surrogacy
ECtHR 24 January 2017, Paradiso and Campanelli v Italy
Surrogacy
ECtHR 26 June 2014, Mennesson v France

7. Juvenile justice
Minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) (T. v UK)
Deprivation of liberty (Güveç v Turkey): last resort
Child-friendly procedures
Understand and participate in proceedings (T. v UK)
Legal assistance from first interrogation (Blokhin v Russia)
Opportunity to cross-examine witnesses (Blokhin v Russia)
* CoE Guidelines child-friendly justice (2010)
Obligation to facilitate reintegration of young offenders – expulsion long-term immigrant permissible? ~ BI (Maslov v Austria)
** art. 37 and 40 CRC

8. More information
Building a Europe for and with Children: case-law Council of Europe: research database: