The Ministers of Justice of the 47 member States of the Council of Europe united for a conference in Lanzarote on 25-26 October, to promote and develop a common approach to improving access to justice for vulnerable groups.

The conference provided the occasion to debate these problems and to identify the areas which require the greatest amount of effort in order to guarantee effective access to justice.

Significant flows of migrants and asylum seekers pose an unprecedented challenge for Europe, creating tensions as well as new opportunities. One specific focus of the conference was the rule of law and respect for human rights while proposing solutions to the difficulties encountered by these specific vulnerable groups.

The issue of access to justice for children, including children in conflict with the law, was the second major focus of the conference. The child-friendly dimension of judicial systems and how children currently access justice, as well as issues linked to the placement of children in care, the role of the State and the rights of children in care, were assessed.

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Convention to protect children against sexual exploitation and abuse to be opened for signature Adopted in July 2007, the Convention provides a comprehensive list of child-friendly measures designed to protect child victims of sexual offences at all stages of criminal justice proceedings. Text of the Convention Building a Europe for and with Children website