On 5 April 2022, ACRiSL held its third network event on the topic of Engaging with Children and Young People in Child Rights Strategic Litigation (CRSL).
The first part of the event consisted on a public panel discussion in which the speakers – children and young people and adults – outlined some key issues and lessons drawn from their experience with CRSL in different national and legal contexts. The speakers outlined some of the key issues and lessons that can be drawn from those experiences, both in terms of litigation strategy and advocacy more broadly.
Speakers included:
Jack McClean (Equity Generation Lawyers) and Bella Burgemeister, youth litigant in Sharma v Minister for the Environment, who spoke about their litigation before the Australian courts focused on coal mine licensing.
Make It 16 Aotearoa, who spoke about their litigation in the New Zealand Courts which seeks a declaration that preventing 16 and 17 year-olds from voting is a breach of the New Zealand Bill of Rights.
Chrisann Jarrett (We Belong) and Shauneen Lambe (Impact Law for Social Justice / ACRiSL) who spoke about their work around R (on the application of Tigere) v Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which sought access to student loans for students with limited or discretionary leave to remain in the UK.
During the second part of the event, network members from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas joined a closed session where children and youth engagement-related obstacles to CRLSL, as well as strategies that have been (or might be) used to overcome these challenges, were discussed. The discussion brought different practical examples to the table, contributing to knowledge exchange about past, current and planned litigation.
Follow this link to watch the video recording of the event.