JUST CLOSER | | Movimento Globale per i Diritti dell’Infanzia

Through a set of integrated and comprehensive activities, the project JUST CLOSER aims at contributing to giving children the possibility to express their doubts and complaints, request information, claim their rights freely and receive adequate support (right to information, right to be heard, right to address complaints), by providing a space where children and youth can engage to build up a safer and more harmonious way out from the justice system, to create spaces in the justice system able to receive, reflect on and put into practice children’s and youth orientations as well as provisions of the EU acquis on children’s rights in criminal proceedings, to foster cooperation among professionals working with children that are suspects or accused persons, to strengthen cooperation among different European stakeholders and ultimately, to contribute to the harmonisation of practices in relation to the relevant legislation in different Member States.

In particular, activities will include:

Set up of group of Youth Leaders (YT&A group) - composed of young people who have had experience within the penal system act as researchers, trainers and role models for other young people - will be involved in the following activities:

1. Accompanied by senior staff members, the YT&A team will conduct a series of consultations among young people and adolescents who are still involved in criminal proceedings in order to gather their perspectives on the implementation of EU directives. This will be done through a variety of participatory and youth-led research methods, such as interviews, creative workshops, focus groups, etc.
2. At the same time, this group will set up as a peer support group to support other young people involved in criminal proceedings to better understand their rights, the juvenile justice system, its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to recognising certain relevant safeguards.
3. As part of these activities, the voices, perspectives and messages of children and young people will be collected and launched in the form of a series of podcasts.
4. In WP3, YT&A will be involved in the training of professionals working in the justice sector, stimulating their reasoning on the practical implementation of children’s rights, discussing the elements that characterise a "juvenile-friendly justice system", trying to identify together the main gaps and possible proposals that could improve the juvenile justice system. Some professionals will become voluntary "ambassadors" of the project, intervening as testimonials in short videos/podcasts to be disseminated widely.

The commitment of the YT&A group will be adequately supported financially in order to ensure effective and professional participation.

Other activities include the training of professionals, the elaboration of national and European Report and Elaboration of a Guide to Good Practice on Directive 2016/800 (containing the Letter of Rights ): The Guide covers areas of good practices in which professional action is required to guarantee child involved in criminal law human rights and wellbeing. The Letter will be target to children involved in criminal proceedings to inform them about their rights, in compliance with art. 4 of the Directive 2016/800.