CAN JUSTICE BE CHILD-FRIENDLY?
European and national perspectives for a multidisciplinary approach towards unaccompanied children
11th and 12th October 2021
This Conference had the aim to exchange experiences and practices about child-friendly regulations and law implementations and to ensure the child’s best interest within the justice system in Italy and in Europe.
Ahmed Isaac Hussein is a cultural mediator of Somalian origin, who arrived in Italy when he was under 18 and who has collaborated with PRISM for years.
The story he is telling is based on the life experience of an unaccompanied child, whose name has been changed into AMIN for privacy reasons.
Day 1 / Session 1
Alessia Cassia
Specialized Project Assistant with over 10 years-experience in the field of migration.
Since 2017 she has been working with IOM, before at landing points in Sicily and since 2020 in the framework of labour exploitation of migrants.
Among her fields of expertise, trafficking in human beings and labour exploitation are particularly relevant.
She also had a relevant esperience in Sicily as a Cultural Mediator with Immigration Police Office at landing points during disembarkation procedures, as a pidgin language Interpreter during victims of human trafficking complaints to Public Prosecutors’ Offices and during potential victims of human trafficking auditions with Territorial Commissions for the Recognition of International Protection.
Day 1 / Session 1
Karolína Babická
Human rights lawyer working for the International Commission of Jurists, focusing mainly on access to justice for migrants, on children’s rights, the rule of law and counter-terrorism and human rights.
Day 1 / Session 2
Elisa Bruno
Lawyer, Graduated from the Faculty of Law of Catania in 2010.
Keen on family law, protection of minors and human rights, against all forms of discrimination and violence. Since 2011 she has been working with the Juvenile Court of Catania, as well as with the Ordinary Court of the same district of Court of Appeal, she was appointed as a voluntary guardian and/or as a lawyer of vulnerable children, in particular with victims of human trafficking. Since 2016 she provides legal assistance at the beneficiaries of the association “Penelope”.
The experience gained so far, also and especially thanks to then diligent action of connection and synergy between the Prosecutor‘s Office at the Juvenile Court of Catania, the Juvenile Court of Catania, the District Anti-Mafia Section at the Public Prosecutor‘s Office of Catania, the anti-trafficking organizations and the Territorial Commission for International Protection of Catania allowed to take effective actions of contrast, as evidenced by the data relating to the arrests and the significant number of children emerged from trafficking conditions.
Day 1 / Session 2
Carmela Polizzi
USSM social worker, with a master’s degree in “Management of Social Service with European Training Address”. She has been working for more than 20 years as a social worker at the Juvenile Social Service Office (USSM) in Palermo, part of the Ministry of Justice, Juvenile and Community Justice Department. She is also a criminal and social mediator at the “Mediation and Restorative Justice” Office of the Municipality of Palermo. As part of her professional role at the USSM, she is in charge of taking charge of Italian and foreign minors and young adults, subject to juvenile criminal proceedings and reported by the Juvenile Judicial Authority to whom she provides psycho-social investigations, personality assessments and project proposals concerning them. In particular, its work focuses on the shared construction with the minor and his family of individualised educational projects that provide for their social reintegration and socio-occupational inclusion.
Moreover, at the USSM, she is the coordinator of the Project Area, for the management and implementation of projects, also European, which insist on issues such as legality, the rights of minors, restorative justice, youth discomfort, active citizenship.
Francesca Paola Di Maria
USSM social worker, graduated with a Master’s degree in “Social Service”, with a master’s degree in criminology and a master’s degree in psychology of work and organizations; she has been working for more than twenty years, in Palermo, as a social service professional, at the Social Service Office for children (U.S.S.M.), Juvenile and Community Justice Department, Ministry of Justice. Within the USSM, she works with Italian and foreign children and young adults reported by the Juvenile Judicial Authority as undergoing criminal proceedings and who are in the territorial area of its competence, and accompanies them throughout their criminal career, with the primary objective of helping them and their families to overcome any difficulties, encouraging social reintegration through individualised educational projects. Therefore, upon request of the Judicial Authority, she arranges the collection of cognitive elements for the assessment of the juvenile’s personality, providing concrete project hypotheses and contributing to the decisions of the Juvenile Magistracy.
Moreover, at the USSM, she is the contact person for the area of socio-occupational inclusion, in particular she follows the projects concerning education, vocational training and employment.
Day 1 / Session 2
Serena Romano
Lawyer specialized in the field of criminal law of immigration, working in particular with children suspects or accused of crime. Researcher in human rights, co-founder of the CLEDU(Human Rights Legal Clinic) at the University of Palermo. Professor of philosophical and juridical subjects.
“Unaccompanied children and criminal proceedings: the CLEDU experience”
Day 2 / Session 1
Pippo Costella
He is the founder and current director of Defence for Children International Italy – International Social Service. He has worked on childhood and adolescence development programs with various NGOs, international agencies and institutions in the Middle East, South East Asia and Europe. His experience is focused on the development of strategies and programs for the protection of children from different forms of exploitation and abuse, programs and initiatives aimed at children in areas of conflict and emergency as well as the psycho-social dimension and the promotion of human rights in migration. From 2004 to 2008 he was an active member of the European Commission Group of Experts on Trafficking in Human Beings. Former honorary judge at the Juvenile Court of Genova, he currently collaborates, as an independent expert, with various Italian and international organizations and networks.
“Unaccompanied children and justice: perspectives on a critical relation”
Day 2 / Session 1
Sebastiano Vinci
Head Psychologist “ASP Palermo” and Psychotrapeuta, with a degree in Psychology from the University of Rome, as well as other qualifications, including Psychotherapist with Lacanian psychoanalytic orientation at the Freudian Institute for Clinical, Therapy and Science; Psychoanalyst, as well as Member of the Lacanian School of Psychoanalysis (SLP) and the World Association of Psychoanalysis (A. M.P.); but also Psychodramatist and Full Member of the Italian Society of Analytical Psychodrama (S.I.Ps.A.). M.P.); but also Psychodramatist and Full Member of the Italian Society of Analytical Psychodrama (S.I.Ps.A.).
Day 2 / Session 1
Alberto Pasquero
Lawyer and Researcher in International Law. From 2006 to 2017 he was abroad, mainly dealing with war crimes and organised crime in the Balkans. He was, inter alia, trial observer for the OSCE in Pristina, officer of the Special Prosecutor’s Office in Kosovo on behalf of the European Union, and finally coordinator of European projects in the field of anti-corruption and organised crime in Belgrade. After working on behalf of UNHCR at the Territorial Commission for the Recognition of International Protection in Trapani, since 2019 he has returned to the legal profession, working exclusively with foreign nationals, whom he defends in civil and criminal cases.
He carries out consultancy work on behalf of the OSCE and the United Nations and is involved in training and research activities on behalf of the Associazione Studi Giuridici sull’Immigrazione (ASGI). Since 2020, he has been an adjunct professor of international humanitarian law at the State University of Milan.
“Risks faced by unaccompanied children in the Italian criminal justice system”
Day 2 / Session 2
Oana Dodu
One of the youngest members of CLR’s team, Oana Dodu is program assistant and legal expert within the programme ´Advocate for dignity´. She has done valuable work for PwD when conducting the HELPLINE for those who are in institutions during the pandemic period — a project implemented in partnership with UNICEF and the National Authority for PwD, helping people having their rights protected in the deinstitutionalization process by conducting the legal action when needed, and solving over 300 other requests such as finding a job, getting medical assistance etc. At the moment her work revolves around helping people with mental health problems in Romania. With strong knowledge of international and European law, Oana is also passionate about refugee’s rights, which was big part of her research project done this year in Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne Master II Program.
Day 2 / Session 2
Nadia Shabani
Director and Legal Consultant for the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law where she is developing projects in the area of legal and financial framework of CSOs in issues related to good governance, organizational development, decision-making and advocacy. Nadia has been the Chairperson of the Bulgarian State Agency for Child Protection (2009-2012) where she has been in charge with coordinating all government policies in the field of children welfare area and with monitoring all relevant state institutions and social services providers in view of the children rights respect. Furthermore, she has been involved in drafting one of the main documents for changing the welfare system for children in Bulgaria, the “National strategy for Deinstitutionalization of children in Bulgaria”. Nadia has built her expertise in the child protection filed by collaborating with several profile organizations such as UNICEF, UNDP, the European Commission, Open Society Institute, Bulgarian association of People with Intellectual Disabilities, Social Support Fund. Author of a wide range of publications and research studies, Nadia holds a MA in International Law and International Organizations from the Kliment Ohridski Sofia University. In 2014, Nadia was awarded together with 24 other activist in child rights by the President of Republic of Bulgaria with Honored Mark for exclusive contribution and merits for protecting children right in Bulgaria (25th anniversary from the adoption of the Convention on Children rights).
Day 2 / Session 2
Giuseppe Divita
Social worker and a legal expert in the field of humanitarian rights and international protection. He has extensive experience in working with international organizations and several NGOs. He has worked in the last six years with the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugee as Refugee Status Determination Associate, supporting and participating in the recognition of refugees and vulnerable people in need of international protection. He has also contributed to the transition and the implementation of the national reform of the international protection procedure in Italy. He has also worked with the International Organisation for Migration in promoting integration of asylum seekers and refugees in Italy through capacity building activities. He has also been an Honorary judge in the Juvenile court working mostly with unaccompanied migrant children in need of protection. He is now collaborating with PRISM to support the activities of the CFJ project developing the model to address vulnerabilities of unaccompanied children who come into contact with the justice system.
