Transnational workshop in Prague, June 2025. 

RELEASE Project

pRotEcting migrant chiLdrEn AgainSt detention through the EU Charter

CERV-2023-CHAR-LITI

In March 2024 – February 2026, the ICJ-EI together with partners implements the two-year-long RELEASE project (pRotEcting migrant chiLdrEn AgainSt detention through the EU Charter). The project seeks to build on the achievements and results of the recent ICJ’s CADREProject which highlighted a need for greater support to lawyers in strengthening their ability, and that of civil society more generally, to engage in strategic litigation to end the immigration detention of children. This is because the absence of case law, regulatory standards, and public awareness may hinder practitioners from pursuing legal action against minors’ imprisonment in immigration detention.

The project partners are:

• Aditus Foundation (aditus) – Malta
• Défense des Enfants International (DEI Belgique) – Belgium
• Forum for Human Rights (FORUM) – Czech Republic
• Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR) – Poland
• Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) – Greece
• Foundation for Access to Rights (FAR) – Bulgaria

Together, the consortium of partners seeks to deepen and expand the existing work with a strong focus on strategic litigation and alternatives to detention (AtD) for migrant children at risk of being subjected to unlawful detention or whose rights may be violated in alternatives to detention. The project’s main objective is to contribute to a favourable EU environment to protect migrant children from detention by:
1. increasing the ability of specialised migration lawyers, civil society, and NHRIs from the six selected EU Member States to develop and implement efficient litigation strategies in relation to (alternatives to) the detention of migrant children in order to promote and protect their rights based on Article 24 of the EU Charter and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child;
2. raising awareness among lawyers, civil society, and public authorities in the target MSs about the detrimental effects of detention on children.

The key long-term impact sought is to make sure that the best interests of the child principle becomes a more judicially relevant element in the case-law of the UN CRC, the ECtHR, and the CJEU, and to explore other litigation venues (ECSR, HRC, CAT).

The main activities include:

• six national trainings in six EU Member States;
• three transnational exchange workshops;
• follow-up mentoring;
• updates to the case-law database;
• publication of a Guide for lawyers on strategic litigation related to detention of children in migration;
• a communications campaign and audio-visual materials with information for migrant children.

Audio-visual materials with information for migrant children in Bulgaria can be found in an article on our website Refugeelight.bg.

Final Event 

Registration to the ICJ Online Final Event - Protecting children in migration in the EU
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and partners are organizing an online final event, Protecting children in migration in the EU: Towards the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum implementation & Strategically litigating (alternatives to) detention of children, 12 February 2026, 11:00-12:15 CET.

The event will explore the implications of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum for both unaccompanied and accompanied children, and present a guide exploring how strategic litigation can be used to protect migrant children from detention in EU Member States. This event aims to strengthen advocacy, litigation, and collaboration among practitioners, policymakers, and civil society representatives committed to protecting the rights of migrant children. Discussion will focus on the role of EU institutions, Member States, and legal professionals in ending the immigration detention of children.

Please confirm your participation on 11 February 2026 the latest to receive the Teams invitation - https://forms.office.com/e/GkTQxLgA4v 

Guide 

Guide on strategic litigation for lawyers and civil society organizations: Strategies to end immigration detention of children through international remedies aimed at strengthening protection of children against immigration detention and promoting rights-compliant alternatives.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has published the Guide on strategic litigation for lawyers and civil society organizations: Strategies to end immigration detention of children through international remedies aimed at strengthening protection of children against immigration detention and promoting rights-compliant alternatives. The Guide is intended for lawyers, civil society organizations (CSOs) and other actors engaging or considering engagement in strategic human rights litigation.

The Guide explains strategic litigation as the use of legal action to achieve change beyond an individual case and emphasizes that such  litigation must be conducted in full compliance with children’s rights, including the requirement that the best interests of the child be a primary consideration. It provides an overview of international and EU bodies and mechanisms available when effective remedies cannot be secured at national level, including judicial and non-judicial procedures.

It includes practical information on mandates, admissibility requirements, procedures, interim measures, and follow-up as well as litigation strategies and advocacy approaches, which may increase the impact of strategic litigation.

Download the guide
English: Guide on strategic litigation for lawyers and civil society organizations: Strategies to end immigration detention of children through international remedies

Interviews of human right lawyers

Watch the interview of Todor Iliev, attorney in Bulgaria, with subtitles in English

Watch the interview of Sylwia Brzezinska, lawyer at Kids in Need of Defense in Poland, with subtitles in English

Watch the interview of Zuzana Pavelková, lawyer at the Organization for Aid for Refugees in the Czech Republic, with subtitles in English

Watch the interview of Kyriaki Fileri, lawyer at the Greek Council for Refugees in Greece, with subtitles in English