The Children’s Law Centre (CLC) Annual Lecture 2025 was held in the Old Bar Library at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, with the keynote address being delivered by former President and Judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Síofra O’Leary. The lecture explored the role of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in protecting the rights and voices of children.

In her address, titled Children’s Voices and the Law: Reflections on the Role and Contribution of the ECHR, Judge O’Leary outlined how Strasbourg case law has evolved to better reflect the needs, rights and participation of children, despite the Convention’s original adult-focused framing.

Drawing on landmark judgments, Judge O’Leary examined key issues such as surrogacy, childcare and adoption, domestic violence, legal representation, and more recent climate change cases. She emphasised that children must be treated as rights holders, not bystanders, and underscored the responsibility of states to ensure child-friendly justice systems.

Judge O’Leary also reflected on the continued important role of the ECHR, particularly in the context of peace and prosperity, as well as the positive role of the UK judiciary in developing convention rights and continuing domestic case law relating to the Human Rights Act 1998.

Speaking after the event, Children’s Law Centre Director Paddy Kelly said: “Twenty five years on from the Human Rights Act coming into force it is important to not only reflect on how much has changed and how children’s rights are better protected in law, policy and practice and the important role the European Court of Human Rights has played in securing those rights. But also, to reflect on what remains outstanding and how, in challenging times, we can best secure what has been achieved and ensure the onward progress of protecting the rights of our most vulnerable citizens.

“It was a privilege to have Judge O’Leary outline so eloquently the continued important role that the Convention and the European Court of Human Rights plays in protecting the rights of children and young people.”

Mr Bragi Guðbrandsson, Vice Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has highlighted the need for the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive ‘without further delay’. Mr Guðbrandsson addressed the lack of local decision making when delivering the Children’s Law Centre Annual Lecture 2023 at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast.

The lecture covered a number of key areas where children and young people’s rights are not being fulfilled. This included relationship and sexuality education (RSE), uses of force on children, restraint and seclusion, the treatment of refugee and asylum seeking children, academic selection, the age of criminal responsibility, child abuse, child sexual exploitation and child poverty.

Watch a live recording of the lecture

Download a copy of Mr Guðbrandsson’s lecture

Mr Guðbrandsson also repeatedly referenced the 2023/24 budget for Northern Ireland.

During the lecture, Mr Guðbrandsson said:

“The lack of progress in legislation being brought forward and delays implementing existing legislation and strategies to improve children’s lives in Northern Ireland require a solution to the political crisis in Northern Ireland without further delay.”

Mr Guðbrandsson referenced the committee’s recommendation on the 2023/24 budget for Northern Ireland a number of times during the lecture, saying:

“To my knowledge, no steps have been taken in Westminster to revise, yet alone withdraw the budget for Northern Ireland or to take any serious steps to mitigate any adverse impact on the most vulnerable children.”

He continued by reflecting on the current context facing children and young people:

“Alarming rates of child poverty, a profoundly difficult economic context, lack of financial support to meet the true cost of living, the complexity of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic still not fully known – all compounded by a budget which failed to give any hope of meaningful intervention.”

Mr Guðbrandsson concluded his lecture by repeating the need for the restoration of local decision making:

“While there has no doubt been progress in some areas, we have regrettably concluded that a vast number of children are being let down because of the continued failure to implement key measures and protections as laid out in the UNCRC.

“At the risk of some you may find I am using too strong words, I have argued that children and young people in NI are facing crisis in terms of lack of progress and even push-backs in crucial clusters of rights embodied in the UNCRC. I have repeatedly said in my speech that the prerequisite for overcoming the hindrances I believe that as a matter of urgency… Northern Ireland needs to regain its executive and legislative power”.

The Children’s Law Centre Annual Lecture 2023 took place on Tuesday 21 November, at The Inn of Court, Old Bar Library, Royal Courts of Justice, Belfast.

Watch a live recording of the lecture

Download a copy of Mr Guðbrandsson’s lecture

Key issues raised include:

• Lack of NI Executive
• Brexit
• Academic selection
• Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE)
• Lowering the voting age to 16
• Uses of force on children, including strip searches, spit and bite hoods and stop and searches
• Corporal punishment
• Child friendly and multiagency response to child sexual abuse
• Implementation of recommendations from the Gillen Review
• Lack of a childcare strategy
• Restraint and seclusion
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health
• Child poverty
• Refugee and asylum seeking children
• The minimum age of criminal responsibility
• The environment

The committee’s concluding observation on the 2023/24 budget reads: “Withdraw the budget for Northern Ireland for the period 2023–2024 and fully consider the equality and human rights implications for a new budget, taking all possible steps to mitigate any adverse impact on children’s rights before issuing a revised budget.”

Ahead of a visit to Belfast, Mr Bragi Guðbrandsson, Vice Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, has said children in Northern Ireland are facing crisis. Mr Guðbrandsson served as the UN Committee’s taskforce coordinator during the recent examination of the UK.

During his visit, Mr Guðbrandsson will meet children and young people, child rights experts and senior government officials, before delivering the Children’s Law Centre Annual Lecture 2023.

Speaking ahead of his visit, Mr Guðbrandsson said: “The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child completed extensive research over the past number of years to understand the challenges faced by children in Northern Ireland. While there has no doubt been progress in some areas, we have regrettably concluded that a vast number of children are being let down because of the continued failure to implement key measures and protections as laid out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Decades of delay in implementing international best practice standards to protect and support children and young people has left them facing a huge number of challenges. In recent years, this has been made dramatically worse by the lack of local decision making and the recent Northern Ireland budget.

“Children and young people are facing crisis.”

Fergal McFerran, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the Children’s Law Centre, said: “We are pleased to host Mr Guðbrandsson for World Children’s Day and to deliver our 2023 Annual Lecture. We are particularly pleased he will be meeting with the children and young people who presented evidence to the UN Committee in Geneva. As UN Committee’s taskforce coordinator for the UK’s recent examination he is well placed to advise on what needs to be done urgently in Northern Ireland to ensure we comply with our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“The message during Mr Guðbrandsson’s visit is crystal clear, our children are facing crisis. We need to see immediate action to start tackling the challenges and undoing the harm that is being caused. That work must start by addressing the immediate damage being done by budget cuts, then tackling the backlog of unaddressed issues over the past decade.”

Mr Guðbrandsson’s visit forms part of the Children’s Law Centre’s work to ensure decision makers in Northern Ireland implement the recommendations laid out by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. He will be engaged in a series of meetings with senior officials, key decision makers and duty bearers on Monday 20^th and Tuesday 21^st November. He will then deliver the Children’s Law Centre’s Annual Lecture 2023 at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast.