Establishment of the National Legal Advisers on Children Unit

 

During the first part of the discussion, the Head of the European Commission Representation Ms.Androulla Kaminara, Dr. Antonis Stylianou lecturer at the University of Nicosia and member of the HFC’s Αdvisory Βoard, Mr. Joseph Varughese General Director of HFC, Mr. Eleftherios Eleftheriou legal advisor at the European Commission and Mr. Markos Nicolettis Head of the Police Cybercrime Unit, talked about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on the Exercise of Children's Rights which are designed to bring about changes in legislation, policies and practices of the countries, in order to safeguard the rights of children. Furthermore, these conventions target towards the information and involvement of children in terms of their rights through accessible procedures, recognizing the important role of parents and the State in this process.

 

During the second part of the discussion, Hope for Children announced the launch of the National Legal Advisers on Children Unit. The NLAC is dedicated to providing high quality legal representation for children through lawyers. The aim of this Unit is to improve the lives of children and families through legal advocacy. Mr. Varughese has explained and described the six thematic groups under the Unit and each group’s topic, which are: Sexual abuse against children, Domestic violence, Unaccompanied children and victims of human trafficking, Children’s rights, Adoption and Research, green papers, recommendations and policy development for the UN, EU, and national authorities. The lawyers-participants have shown their interest in participating to specific thematic groups and discussed the nature of their future contribution.