Protecting child rights and public safety: Premises for the integration of childs best interest and crime prevention

Vi ser at unge i økende grad begår alvorlige voldelige forbrytelser, inkludert voldelig ekstremisme og terrorisme. En utfordring for velferdsstaten er hvordan man kan ivareta samfunnets sikkerhet og forhindre kriminalitet og sosial ekskludering, samtidig som man beskytter barns rettigheter. To nøkkelinstitusjoner spiller avgjørende roller i å håndtere denne gruppen barn: barnevernsystemet og strafferettsystemet. Hvert system opererer med distinkte verdier, konsepter og verktøy, noe som fører til forskjellige tolkninger av barns rettigheter og samfunnets behov. Til tross for de betydelige samfunnsmessige implikasjonene, er barnevernssystemet og strafferettsystemet og interaksjonene mellom dem underutforsket. PROTECT skal få frem kunnskap og forståelse av utfordringer og mulige løsninger i de nordiske land for å integrere behovet for samfunnssikkerhet med beskyttelse av barns rettigheter. PROTECT vil gjennomføre banebrytende forskning gjennom å kombinere samfunnsvitenskapelige og rettsvitenskapelige perspektiver, benytte innovative metodologiske tilnærminger og gjennomføre undersøkelser på tvers av ulike land.

A worldwide challenge and core problem for the Nordic welfare states is how to protect children’s rights and at the same time provide public safety and prevent crime and social exclusion. Globally, children engage in serious violent crimes that are perceived as threats to public safety, including violent extremism, and terrorism. Two key institutions play pivotal roles in addressing this group of children: the child protection system and the criminal justice system. Each system operates with distinct rationale, legal and professional concepts and tools, leading to different interpretations of child rights, the needs of society, the children, and the public. There is an increase in the Nordic countries of children that engage in violent crimes, and some are very young. In spite of the weighty societal implications, the key systems and interactions between them are understudied. Knowledge gaps produce barriers for efficient realization of children’s rights as well as for public security. PROTECT will address these knowledge needs through studies on the Nordic context, with the objective to advance knowledge and understanding of current challenges and possible solutions to integrate public safety with protection of children’s rights. PROTECT will conduct pioneering interdisciplinary research, combining law and political science, innovative methodological approaches and cross-country examinations, including legal doctrinal and conceptual analysis, survey, vignettes, experiments and text analysis. PROTECT is the first cross-country socio-legal study concerning the protection of child rights and public safety across child protection systems and justice systems and will offer theory development in the intersections of autonomy and State protection. The outcome will set a standard for how to understand integration of child rights and public safety that can serve as a guidepost for public policymakers aspiring to or adjusting their current system approach over time.