Training on Human Rights and Children organised by Department of Child Law
From 9-12 April 2018, the Department of Child and the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies have organised in cooperation with the Asia-Europe Foundation a training programme on Human Rights and Children.
The training provided a comprehensive children's rights course of 3.5 days, which took a close look at contemporary children's rights issues. Leading academic and professional experts in the field of children's rights from Asia and Europe offered inspiring and interactive lectures and workshops. Themes taught included issues relating to children and juvenile justice, migration, family and alternative care, business principles and digital realities. Eighteen representatives from governments and civil society organisations from 14 different Asian and European countries attended the training.
The training programme is a follow-up on the 17th Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights, dedicated to the rights of children, which took place in November 2017 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Prof. Ton Liefaard was one of the main rapporteurs at the seminar, and together with Dr. Stephanie Rap, organised the training component. The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an intergovernmental forum for dialogue and cooperation established in 1996 to deepen relations between Asia and Europe, which addresses political, economic and socio-cultural issues of common concern. The 17th Seminar training is co-organised by Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (nominated by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
On the final day, the participants visited the Gender and Children Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The training was concluded with a festive award ceremony and lecture at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
