leidenlawblog

Ton Liefaard is Professor of Children's Rights and holds the UNICEF Chair in Children's Rights and he is head of the Department of Child Law and Health Law at Leiden University

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Private Law

Beijing Rules: from standards to rights

Forty years ago, the Beijing Rules reshaped juvenile justice. This blog explores how they framed it in terms of children’s rights, and why this anniversary matters.

Ton Liefaard + 1 other • 27-11-2025

Private Law

Children: peace, equality & dignity

On World Children’s Day, in a world marked by fragility and fragmentation, we are reminded that peace, equality and human dignity cannot be fulfilled without the realisation of children’s rights.

Ton Liefaard + 1 other • 19-11-2025

Private Law

NATO: protecting children from war starts with the arms trade

Modern warfare has inflicted unprecedented suffering upon children across the world. NATO’s role and responsibilities towards children of war requires immediate attention.

Ann Skelton + 1 other • 18-06-2025

The return of Ukraine's stolen children

Nearly 20,000 children have been abducted from Ukraine since the Russian invasion. As peace talks emerge, our gaze must return to these children and the gross violations of their rights.

Ton Liefaard • 09-12-2024

Private Law

35 years of children's rights: time for renewed commitment

How has the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shaped children’s rights over the last 35 years and what still needs to be done in the face of the current global challenges?

Ton Liefaard + 1 other • 20-11-2024

Interdisciplinary Study of the Law

Prevent children becoming victims of a data-driven world

The impact of ‘dataveillance’ on children who are monitored from birth via smartphones and FitBits, is great. Children’s rights must be more central when it comes to designing technology.

Remco Pijpers + 2 others • 03-05-2022