How people-centered justice matters for children

People under the age of eighteen account for approximately 30% of the world’s population, and in numerous countries children make up more than half of all residents.3 Given children’s demographic significance, this paper places a distinctive focus on children under age 18. It draws on a growing global movement driving people-centered justice, which designs justice systems based on people’s ordinary experiences and seeks proportionate, accessible justice systems focused on people’s outcomes and applies this approach to children. In doing so, it shifts the focus from justice systems, to children’s agency and own experiences of their justice needs, and seeks to understand the distinctiveness of these needs in policy and practice responses. It advances an expansive definition of child-centered justice, rooted in the recognition of children’s distinct characteristics and experiences. It uses an ecosystemic lens - which views children’s lives as situated within a network of interrelated relationships, institutions, and structural conditions - to understand child-centered justice and apply this in practice and policy. It does so by reviewing existing knowledge on children’s justice needs established though the consolidated expertise of the Global Working Group on SDG 16+ Justice for Children, and identifies promising evidence-based strategies and innovations for child-centered justice. This paper pays particular attention to the common justice problems children face, and to the evidence of service-level interventions that respond to these needs while driving systems toward greater child-centeredness. The analysis identifies critical gaps, including the underrepresentation of children in global data, limitations in legal needs surveys, and the lack of evidence on interventions necessary to address the justice needs of children facing adversities. It concludes with proposed next steps for research and action.