A joint initiative between the University of Bergen
and CMI – Chr. Michelsen Institute
How do courts safeguard children worldwide?
The right to protection from violence and exploitation is a fundamental constitutional right for children. It ranks second in frequency, right after the right to education, across national constitutions.
While most legal provisions for safeguarding this right are found in ordinary legislation, some child protection cases do reach constitutional courts. These cases involve various scenarios, such as actions against parents who harm their children, challenges to authorities failing in their duty to protect children from violence, and debates over the constitutionality of child protection laws (e.g., those related to corporal punishment).
In this presentation, Conor O’Mahony explores a selection of such cases from different countries, aiming to identify common themes and assess the significance of children’s constitutional rights within the realm of child protection.
The seminar is part of the RDV series, a collaboration between the Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism and the Centre on Law and Social Transformation at the University of Bergen. The RDV-webinar series is an interdisciplinary webinar where national and international researchers are invited to talk about their pioneering research on topics regarding law, democracy, and welfare.
Conor O'Mahony is a professor at the University College Cork (Ireland). He is also the director of the Child Law Clinic at the University, through which he works to support litigation concerning children and to advocate for law reform in the area of child law.
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Conor O'Mahony is a professor at the University College Cork (Ireland). He is also the director of the Child Law Clinic at the University, through which he works to support litigation concerning children and to advocate for law reform in the area of child law.
Professor O’Mahony’s research interests lie broadly in the areas of constitutional law and child law, with a particular focus on family and children’s rights. From 2019 to 2022, he served as Special Rapporteur on Child Protection to the Government of Ireland, a role which included annually reporting on significant child protection developments.
Bergen Global is a joint initiative between the University of Bergen and Chr. Michelsen Institute that addresses global challenges.
