Children's Law Centre highlights ECHR impact

The Children’s Law Centre's Annual Lecture 2025 emphasised the essential role of the ECHR in safeguarding children's rights. The event took place in the stunning Old Bar Library at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, featuring a keynote address by Síofra O’Leary, former President and Judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). In her lecture, titled Children’s Voices and the Law: Reflections on the Role and Contribution of the ECHR, Judge O’Leary underscored the evolving nature of Strasbourg case law, which increasingly acknowledges the needs and rights of children, moving beyond the Convention’s initial focus on adults.

Judge O’Leary explored a range of pivotal issues affecting children, including surrogacy, childcare, adoption, and domestic violence, alongside contemporary challenges such as climate change. She firmly stated that "children must be treated as rights holders, not bystanders," insisting on the necessity for states to create justice systems that cater specifically to children’s needs. Furthermore, she reflected on the ongoing significance of the ECHR in today's context, particularly regarding peace and prosperity while also heralding the positive contributions of the UK judiciary in enhancing convention rights and enriching domestic case law pertaining to the Human Rights Act 1998.

Paddy Kelly, Director of the Children’s Law Centre, shared her thoughts after the lecture, stating, “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.” The lecture serves as a powerful reminder of the imperative to uphold and advance children’s rights within legal frameworks.