More than 100 lawyers in North Macedonia are registered to attend a new online HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on child-friendly justice.
The course has been launched with the support of the joint European Union and Council of Europe actions "Supporting enhanced access to higher quality Free Legal Aid services in North Macedonia" and “HELP in the Western Balkans”, in co-operation with the North Macedonia Bar Association.
When faced with the justice system, children are thrown into an intimidating adult world which they cannot understand. It is therefore necessary to ensure that both access to and the processes within justice are always friendly towards children. In line with the 2012 Brighton Declaration, it is important to ensure that the professionals working within the competent authorities of the Council of Europe member States have comprehensive and professional knowledge of the European Court of Human Rights and its case-law on child-friendly justice.
The aim of the course is to assist relevant professionals to get a comprehensive overview of European standards concerning justice for children. This would contribute to a more successful and consistent application of the European standards in their daily work.
The course was translated and adapted in Macedonian language in 2020 and has been already successfully implemented in co-operation with the Bar Association four times in 2020 and in 2021. The success of the first rounds of courses sparked the interest and need to launch a new course on Child friendly Justice with the North Macedonia Bar Association.
During the launching event, the participants received the necessary information on the technical aspects of the online training on child-friendly justice through the HELP platform. Following the successful completion of the course the participants will obtain certificates that will also serve the purpose of formally certifying lawyers to deal with cases involving children in accordance with the Law on Justice for Children.
The implementation of the HELP online course on child-friendly justice is a joint activity of the actions "Supporting enhanced access to higher quality Free Legal Aid services in North Macedonia"and “HELP in the Western Balkans” in the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2020".