First part of online Regional Workshop on Strategic Litigation for the Protection of the Rights of the Child in Latin America took place from November 30th to December 1st, 2020. It counted with more than 70 participants, from 17 countries. 

Last week, Child Rights Connect and Save the Children–Latin America and the Caribbean, in partnership with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (the Committee), completed the first part of the online Regional Workshop on Strategic Litigation for the Protection of the Rights of the Child in Latin America. A second part of the workshop, also online, will take place between February and March 2021 and will be dedicated to discussing specific litigation strategies based on case studies put forward by the participants. 

The regional workshop is part of Child Rights Connect program to promote an increased awareness and understanding of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child for a Communications Procedure (OPIC). Latin America, being the second region in the world with most States parties to the OPIC, the workshop aimed to provide civil society and human rights defenders from the region with an in-depth understanding of the instrument, empowering them in the design of strategic litigation plans to promote and protect child rights. Given that most participants assist and support other civil society organisations and human rights defenders, including children, it is also expected for the knowledge and tools shared in the workshop to be further disseminated across the region, strengthening the work of child rights human rights defenders in Latin America.  

Structure of workshop  

Lecturers of the first part of the workshop included former and current members of the Committee, officer of the petitions unit of the OHCHR, professionals from expert civil society organisations and litigators to the UN treaty bodies system on child rights issues.  

The two-days’ workshop was divided in four sessions touching on the UN human rights system, the communications and inquiry procedures under the OPIC, the work and jurisprudence of the UN treaty bodies, particularly the CRC, and the elements to take into account when designing strategic litigation strategies to promote and defend the rights of the child.  

A second part of the workshop, also online, will take place between February and March 2021 and will be dedicated to discussing specific litigation strategies based on case studies put forward by the participants. 

For inquiries, visit our dedicated website on the OPIC or write us to legal@childrightsconnect.org