The Children’s Legal Centre for Wales (CLC Wales) Strategic Litigation Project funded by the Esmee Fairburn Foundation
Child rights strategic litigation (CRSL) – is defined by the Global Advancing Strategic Litigation Project (ACRSL) as:
‘litigation that seeks to bring about positive legal and social change in terms of children’s enjoyment of their rights, or in other terms, using the law strategically to achieve change for children.’
CRSL is increasingly used as a tool for realising children’s rights by different actors globally.
The CLC Wales will strengthen capacity for CRSL to promote the better realisation of children’s rights in Wales. We will engage with lawyers and civil society to identify opportunities for policy and legislative reform and potential cases for CRSL.
We are in the process of developing our approach to CRSL and will take advice from leaders in the field in the UK and globally. We will build relationships between children’s rights advocates, non-government organisations (NGOs), National Independent Human Rights Institutions (NIHRI), lawyers and academia to enable collaboration on CRSL in Wales.
The CLC will bring about changes by adopting a practical approach to CRSL that will support the advancement of children’s rights. The project will involve a continuous exchange of information on children’s rights violations contributed by legal practitioners, NGOs, NHRI’s, academic research and from children themselves.
We will collate evidence and develop criteria to select cases for CRSL to ensure children’s rights are respected, protected and fulfilled in Wales.
This project is led by Dr Rhian Croke: our Child Rights Strategic Litigation and Policy Advocacy Lead. Please do get in touch if you are interested in working with us or require further information.
Email address: rhian.croke@swansea.ac.uk or ChildrensLegalCentre@swansea.ac.uk