1. Legal institutions for the rights of the child
The main mandate of the legal institutions for the rights of the child is to promote the rights of the child through knowledge dissemination as children need special attention and protection to ensure their rights. Advocating for the rights of the children should be evidence-based and inclusion of awareness-raising. Following legal institution for the rights of the child plays a think-tank role in their respective country, regional and international commitment toward the protection of the rights of the child.
- Department of Child Law, Leiden University is a knowledge centre dedicated to academic research and education for both students and professionals in the field of child law and children’s rights. The Department of Child Law accommodates the Leiden Children’s Rights Observatory, which is an open access online database on international children’s rights jurisprudence, focusing on the decisions of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communication Procedure. Furthermore, the Department of Child Law conducts scientific research projects for governments, international organisations, including UNICEF, the Council of Europe and different institutions, including the Dutch children’s ombudsperson. Please refer https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/law/institute-of-private-law/child-law for more information!
- Center for Child Law of Law Faculty at the University of Pretoria was established in October 1998 and contributes towards establishing and promoting the best interests of children in our community through education, research, advocacy and litigation. The Centre’s mission is to work towards the development of child law and the realization of children’s rights in South Africa, within a regional and international context. For more information, please refer https://centreforchildlaw.co.za/about/
2. Legal programs and trainings for the rights of the child
If you are a novice to child law and the rights of the child and willing to learn about the rights of the children, following online courses will help you to meet your needs of learning. The great advantage of the online course is complete to course your own pace and time.
- Online courses
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- Classroom and face to face training programs
Class-based courses give you learning and travelling opportunity plus interaction with other participants and learn from their experience of various countries and issues. Here are the classroom based training courses on the rights of the children which organized on an annual basis.
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3. Legal Clinics for children
Many law schools have legal clinics to provide their students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in real cases through researching, drafting legal arguments and meeting with clients. Those clinics are mostly managed by law school professors and offer pro-bono services to clients in need. In recent years, law schools are opening specialized legal clinics in coordination with schools of respective disciplines to motivate their students to specialized in respective areas including child rights and human rights. Following universities are running legal clinics for the rights of the child.
- Child Law Clinic by University College Cork, Ireland
https://www.ucc.ie/en/childlawclinic/
According to the American Bar Association, in the total following, 64 universities have child dedicated law clinics.
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/childrens-rights/directory/legal-clinics/
- Child and Family Law Clinic
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Arizona - Civil Clinic
University of Arkansas School of Law, Arkansas - Center for Children’s Rights
Whittier Law School, California - Center for Juvenile Law and Policy
Loyola Law School, California - Children’s Advocacy Institute
University of San Diego School of Law, California - Children’s Legal Issues Clinic
University of Southern California Law School, California - Disability Rights Legal Center
Loyola Law School, California - Juvenile Law Clinic
University of Colorado School of Law, Colorado - Advocacy for Children and Youth Clinic
Yale Law School, Connecticut - Center for Children’s Advocacy, Inc.
University of Connecticut School of Law, Connecticut - Criminal Justice Clinic
American University, Washington College of Law, Washington, Dc - Juvenile and Special Education Law Clinic
University of the District of Columbia, Washington, Dc - Juvenile Justice Clinic
Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, Dc - Children and Families Clinic
Barry University, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, Florida - Children and Families Clinic
Shepard Broad Law Center, Nova Southeastern University, Florida - Children and Youth Law Clinic
University of Miami School of Law, Florida - Children’s Advocacy Center
Florida State University College of Law, Florida - Center on Children and Families
University of Florida, Levin College of Law, Florida - Juvenile Justice Center
Barry University, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, Florida - Children & Family Justice Center
Northwestern University, School of Law, Illinois - Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic
University of Chicago Law School, Illinois - Loyola Civitas Childlaw Clinic
Loyola University of Chicago, Illinois - Valparaiso University School of Law Clinic, Indiana
- Viola J. Taliaferro Family and Children Mediation Clinic
Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Indiana - Middleton Center for Children’s Rights
Drake Law School, Iowa - Children and Family Law Center
Washburn University School of Law, Kansas - Juvenile Litigation Clinic
Tulane University Law School, Louisiana - Juvenile Justice Program, Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic
University of Maine School of Law, Maine - Child Advocacy Clinic
University of Baltimore School of Law, Maryland - Child Advocacy Program
Harvard University Law School, Massachusetts - Juvenile Justice Center and Child Advocacy Clinic
Suffolk University Law School, Massachusetts - Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project
Boston College Law School, Massachusetts - Child Advocacy Law Clinic, Juvenile Justice Clinic, Pediatric Advocacy Clinic
University of Michigan Law School, Michigan - Child Advocacy Clinic
Hamlin University School of Law, Minnesota - Children’s Law Clinics
University of Minnesota Law School, Minnesota - Family & Children’s Law Center
Mississippi College of Law, Mississippi - Child Advocacy Clinic
University of Mississippi School of Law, Mississippi - Children’s Rights Clinic
Washington University School of Law, Missouri - Civil Clinical Law Program
University of Nebraska College of Law, Nebraska - Thomas and Mack Legal Clinic
University of Nevada, William S. Boyd School of Law, Nevada - Children’s Law Clinics
Rutgers School of Law-Camden, New Jersey - Children’s Law Clinics
Rutgers School of Law-Newark, New Jersey - Juvenile Justice Clinic
Seton Hall University School of Law, New Jersey - Center for Children, Families and The Law
Hofstra University School of Law, New York - Child Advocacy Clinic
Columbia Law School, New York - Child Advocacy Clinic
John’s University School of Law, New York - Children’s Law Clinics
New York University School of Law, New York - Children’s Rights Clinic
Syracuse University College of Law, New York - Children’s Law Clinic
Duke University Law School, North Carolina - Family and Youth Law Center
Capital University Law School, Ohio - Justice for Children Project
Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Ohio - Child & Family Advocacy Clinic
Willamette University, Oregon - Children’s Advocacy Clinic
Penn State University, Dickinson School of Law, Pennsylvania - Interdisciplinary Child Advocacy Clinic
University of Pennsylvania Law School, Pennsylvania - Education Law Practicum & Youth Justice
University of Tennessee College of Law, Tennessee - Child and Family Litigation Clinic
University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Tennessee - Children’s Law Clinics
University of Texas At Austin School of Law, Texas - W. Caruth, Jr. Child Advocacy Clinic
Smu Dedman School of Law, Texas - Child Advocacy Clinic
University of Virginia School of Law, Virginia - Children’s Law Clinics
University of Richmond, Virginia - Children & Youth Advocacy Clinic
University of Washington School of Law, Washington - The Child & Family Advocacy Clinic
West Virginia University College of Law, West Virginia - University of Wyoming Legal Services Program, Wyoming