'Juvenile Justice Without Borders' International Award Eighth Edition 2024

Adeela ahmed Shafi

Adeela’s research career is focused on how to re-engage incarcerated children and young people with education and learning.  Most of this work has been on international projects with the aim of raising the profile and attention of this little researched area on an international stage. Adeela’s work reflects passion and skill for collaborating across boundaries to generate the thinking for new solutions to old problems.

Adeela has been Principle Investigator on large Erasmus+ projects, such as Re-Engaging Young Offenders with Education & Learning (RENYO), Active Games for Change (AG4C) and Skills for Life (S4L) with the aim of developing policy and practice in this area. As well as an established publishing profile, Adeela has led a Special Issue in an International Journal ‘Children’s education in secure custodial settings: Towards a global understanding of effective policy and practice’. Adeela is currently lead editor on a new International Handbook by Palgrave entitled ‘The Education of Incarcerated Children and Young People’ with contributions from 41 world- leading scholars across 13 countries, including Turkey, China Italy, Spain, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, USA, Abu Dhabi, Brazil, Greece, Australasia and the UK - on the role education can play in improving the lives of incarcerated children and young people.

To further this work Adeela established TRYJUSTICE, the Transdisciplinary Research for Youth Justice Network www.tryjustice.org.uk, bringing together key academics on youth justice from the disciplines of psychology, criminology, sociology, social work and law. The aim is to generate cutting edge thinking which transcends disciplinary boundaries. A new centre that Adeela is leading with other collaborators is the Centre for Whole Society Resilience (CWSR) www.glos.ac.uk/wholesocietyresilience, focused on leadership, decision making and cultural change for resilience in individuals, teams, organisations, communities and society. She has published a range of research articles and a book on resilience.

Much of Adeela’s work is underpinned by the values of fairness, inclusion and equity and this extends to Adeela also being an active community worker, standing for Member of Parliament in 2010, is currently vice Chair of the Avon & Somerset Police Scrutiny Panel, founder of the Bristol Muslim Strategic Leadership Group and Commissioner for Race Equality in Bristol. Adeela was recognised for her contributions to research and services to social justice with an MBE, which is a British national award, by the late Queen in 2020.

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth

Founded in 2009, the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) is a nonprofit organization that leads efforts to ban juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) and other extreme prison sentences for children in the United States. CFSY is an equity-driven organization that explicitly works to dismantle the racial disparities, social injustices, and residual harms caused by the American legal system. Through partnerships with advocacy organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders, the CFSY supports survivors of youth violence, those incarcerated as children who are still serving or have been released, and their respective families and communities.

The United States is the only country in the world known to sentence children to life without the possibility of parole in prison. CFSY has achieved significant milestones in its work to end this practice and prevent more children from being condemned to die behind bars. Since 2013, the United States has progressed from 7 states that ban life without parole for children (with an additional 3 with nobody serving the sentence) to 28 that ban (with 5 with nobody serving the sentence). As of March 2024, over 1100 people who were previously sentenced to life without parole as children are now free. Many of these people are members of the CFSY's Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network working hard to give back to their communities and families.

As an organization, the CFSY is guided by the belief that to end JLWOP and other extreme sentences, policymakers and the private sector must be educated on America's failing response to kids who commit harm. CFSY is committed to exposing unjust practices, highlighting opportunities for positive transformation, and elevating the voices of system-impacted leaders, driven by the understanding that directly impacted people (those who were impacted by youth violence and extreme sentencing of youth) possess unique and valuable knowledge and experience.  Though directly impacted people possess unique value, they are often excluded from positions of power and influence. CFSY intentionally increases opportunities for power sharing while simultaneously working to eliminate barriers that diminish the value and humanity of people impacted by the American legal system.

Xavier McElrath-Bey

Xavier McElrath-Bey serves as Executive Director of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) and is a co-founder of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN). During his many years at the CFSY, Xavier has fought to abolish life without parole for children in America, and has played a role in ending this practice in several states including Nevada, Utah, Arkansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

At age 13, after accumulating 19 arrests and seven convictions, Xavier was arrested, charged with a gang-related murder, and sentenced to 25 years in prison.  While growing up in prison, Xavier became increasingly remorseful for his past actions and decided to change for the better. Hopeful of someday living a “normal life,” Xavier prepared himself by earning an Associate’s degree in Arts and an Associate’s in General Education from Carl Sandburg College, a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Roosevelt University, and a certificate in Computer Technology. Xavier was also inducted into the Franklin Honor Society for outstanding scholarship. He began to envision a better life where he would be able to put his remorse into action — what he has referred to as his “eternal apology” to the victim in his case, Pedro Martinez, and his family.

In 2002, Xavier was released at age 26 after serving 13 years. While volunteering as a YMCA youth boxing coach, Xavier landed his first job as a Starbucks barista and decided to pursue a Master’s degree from Roosevelt University’s Counseling and Human Services Program. He graduated with honors in 2006, and since then, he has worked in various fields including violence prevention, youth counseling, clinical research, youth advocacy, and sentencing reform. Prior to his current employment at the CFSY, Xavier worked for Northwestern University’s Health Disparities & Public Policy program, where he conducted over 800 clinical research interviews with formerly incarcerated youth. In 2016, he met Pedro’s family in a restorative justice healing circle. That day, they forgave him and forged a relationship that continues to this day.

In addition to leading the CFSY, Xavier currently serves as a Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) Advisory Council Member at MacArthur Foundation, an Advisory Council Member at Eighth Amendment Project, an Ambassador Alumni with Represent Justice, and an Advisory Council Member at Fair Chance Institute (FCI). He’s also served as a board member at the Community Justice for Youth Institute (CJYI) and as a member of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force (PATF) working group on community & police relations.

Outlets including the New York Times, People Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Teen Vogue, PBS NewsHour, The Guardian, The Marshall Project, and others have shared Xavier’s story and advocacy efforts, and in recent years, he received the Justice Roundtable Excellence Award, the JustLeadershipUSA Leading with Conviction Award, the Bright Promises Foundation Champion for Children Award, and the 2023 Juvenile Law Center Leadership Prize in recognition of his visionary leadership and groundbreaking advocacy efforts at the CFSY. In his powerful TEDx Talk titled “No Child is Born Bad,” Xavier reminds all of us that no child should ever receive a “death in prison” sentence and that all children, including those who have made horrible mistakes, have the capacity for positive change.

Julia Sloth-Nielsen

Julia Sloth-Nielsen has been involved in children’s rights reforms for more than 30 years. She worked on child justice law reform in her native South Africa, as a member of the project team that developed the Child Justice Act 75 of 2008, for more than a decade. She has also worked on juvenile justice reform in Mozambique, Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Sudan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. She drafted the 2011 Kampala Guidelines on Action for Children in the Justice Systems in Africa, adopted by the African Committee of Experts as a guiding tool for the consideration of State Part repots under the African Charter on the Right and Welfare of the Child, as well as the African Child Policy Forum/DCI publication ‘Spotlighting the invisible: Access to Justice for Children in Africa. She is currently working on various assignments linked to the ‘Reimagine Justice’ agenda supported by UNICEF.

She has published extensively on juvenile justice and related themes (such as child protection and child abuse), as well as on restorative justice. She has graduated many PHDs, including in field related to juvenile justice, as well as numerous LLM theses. She continues to work collaboratively at the international level, as well as within domestic legal systems, with a focus mainly on African jurisdictions. She has been teaching a dedicated LLB case on child justice for more than 25 years, producing graduates who have become legal representatives of children in conflict, prosecutors, and magistrates, all with specialised knowledge of child justice.

Luis Pedernera

• Independent Expert of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (2017/2021- 2021/2025).
• Vice-Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (2023/2025).
• Focal Point of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, for threats to child rights defenders (2023/2025).
• Former Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (2019/2021).
• Former Chair of the Meeting of Chairpersons of the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies (2020/2021).
• Former member of the Academic Committee of the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Juvenile Justice of the University of Geneva and of l'Institut international des droits de l'enfant, Switzerland.
• Member of the IBCR -Board of Directors of the International Bureau for Children's Rights, Canada.
• Former Member of the Governing Board of the African Child Policy Forum.
• Member of the Executive Committee of the International Human Rights Network, Geneva, Switzerland.
• Member of the Assembly of the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) Geneva, Switzerland.
• He has been invited to give classes and lectures on children's rights at universities and academic events in different regions of the world.
• He is the author of numerous articles on children's rights and human rights for specialized and academic publications.
• He has vast experience in monitoring adolescent criminal justice systems, has visited and coordinated work teams for the inspection of detention centers for children and adolescents in Uruguay and other countries, working specifically in the fight against torture.
• Advisor on children's rights issues for public and private entities, United Nations agencies, National Human Rights Institutions and Ombudsmen for Children in different regions.
• He has been a juror for the 8th (2020), 9th (2021) and 10th (2022) 11th (2023) 12th (2024) editions of the National Human Rights Award in Colombia, a recognition that seeks to highlight and support the legitimacy of the work in the defense of human rights of local communities and activists organized by Diakonia, Act Sweden and with the support of the Swedish Government.
• He was awarded the Zilda Arns Medal for good practices for early childhood in Brazil in October 2021.

Manfred Nowak

Manfred Nowak is currently Secretary General of the Global Campus of Human Rights, based in Venice, and Scientific Director of the Vienna Master of Arts in Applied Human Rights at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

In addition to Prof. Nowak’s function as Professor of International Law and Human Rights at Vienna University, he holds several human rights professorships at the Universities of Utrecht, Lund, Geneva and Stanford. In Prof. Nowak’s academic capacity, he has published more than 600 books and articles in the fields of international and public law, human rights and development politics. He also served as an independent expert for various non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations. Most importantly, he served as international judge (appointed by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe) at the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo and he was Vice-Chair of the Management Board of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency in Vienna. In the UN, Prof. Nowak served, inter alia, as member of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, as independent expert in charge of the Special Process on Missing Persons in the former Yugoslavia, as UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and as Independent Expert leading the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty.

Save the Children Spain

Save the Children is an organisation present in 115 countries around the world, where we have helped 47.4 million children. Our goal is to ensure that all children see their rights respected throughout the world and that they can survive, learn and be protected, always trying to reach the most vulnerable and being present in especially complex contexts such as humanitarian crises or natural disasters.

In Spain, in addition to direct work with more than 10,000 children in vulnerable situations, victims of violence or undergoing a migration process, we are also dedicated to finding solutions to the main violations of their rights through public policies. As part of this work, we carry out various investigations into issues that affect children and adolescents. Among the issues that we research and address as a priority is violence against children and, specifically, the response of the justice system when a case of violence occurs. Our first investigation in this regard was "Ojos que no quieren ver", where we addressed the response of institutions when a case of child sexual abuse occurs.

Since this report and in subsequent years, we have been publishing various investigations aimed at influencing a specialization of justice in violence against children, including the implementation of the Barnahus model. Regarding Barnahus, after identifying the international good practice of this model in previous investigations, we published in Catalonia the report "Bajo un mismo techo. Catalunya", in which we analyzed the viability of this resource in the Catalan area. Following this, we replicated the research in different autonomous communities, considering the landing of the proposal to the different autonomous community particularities: "Bajo el mismo techo, C. Valenciana", "Bajo el mismo techo. C. Madrid" y "Bajo el mismo techo. Euskadi"

On the other hand, we have periodically carried out analyses of sentences in cases of sexual violence against children, in which we have identified the key aspects that justify the need to specialize justice in violence against children: Los abusos sexuales hacia la infancia en España y Por una justicia a la altura de la infancia

All these investigations have allowed us to play a fundamental role in the negotiations for the specialization of justice, still in the process of legislative development.

Andrés Conde

Andrés Conde holds a Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Colegio Universitario de Estudios Financieros (CUNEF), a PDD from IESE Business School and a Postgraduate Degree in Management of Non-Governmental Organisations from ESADE.

He spent the first part of his professional career in the editorial sector, where he held positions as Marketing Director and Corporate Editorial Director of editorial group SM, with responsibility for the group's strategy, processes and editorial development teams in the 9 countries in which it operates.

Eleven years ago, reasons of personal calling led him to reorient his professional career towards the social sector, taking lead of the Marketing and Fundraising management of UNICEF in Spain, as well as assuming vice-presidency of the International Fundraising Think Tank of UNICEF. Since 2014 he has been CEO in Spain of the international NGO Save the Children, and is a member of the International Management Committee of Save the Children.

UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (UNICEF EAPRO)

Stretching from Mongolia in the North to Tonga in the South, the East Asia & Pacific office covers one of the most diverse and dynamic areas in world. Each year around 30 million children are born and UNICEF is there to help protect and promote their rights.

The office plays a crucial role in advocating for the rights and well-being of children and young people, particularly those in conflict with the law or at risk of social exclusion. Its work is multifaceted, addressing both the immediate needs of these children and the systemic issues that contribute to their vulnerability.

Promoting Child Rights and Access to Justice

UNICEF EAPRO is committed to promoting child rights and ensuring that children have access to justice. This involves working with governments to develop and implement child-sensitive justice systems that prioritize the best interests of the child. These systems are designed to be rehabilitative rather than punitive, recognizing that children in conflict with the law are often victims of circumstance and deserve a chance at rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Legal Aid and Social Services

A key aspect of UNICEF EAPRO’s work is providing legal aid and social services to children and young people in conflict with the law. This includes offering legal representation, counseling, and other support services that can help these children navigate the justice system. By providing these services, UNICEF EAPRO aims to ensure that children are treated fairly and that their rights are upheld throughout the legal process.

Addressing Root Causes of Exclusion

UNICEF EAPRO also focuses on addressing the root causes of social exclusion, such as poverty, lack of education, and family breakdown. They implement programs that offer vocational training, life skills, and educational opportunities to at-risk youth. These programs are designed to empower young people, providing them with the tools they need to build a better future for themselves and avoid coming into conflict with the law.

Community-Based Interventions

Community-based interventions are another important component of UNICEF EAPRO’s work. By engaging with communities, UNICEF EAPRO aims to create a supportive environment for children and young people. This includes raising awareness about child rights, promoting positive parenting practices, and encouraging community members to play an active role in the protection and development of children.

Policy Advocacy and Reform

UNICEF EAPRO engages in policy advocacy and reform to create a more inclusive society for all children. They work with policymakers to develop laws and policies that protect the rights of children and young people, particularly those in conflict with the law or at risk of social exclusion. This includes advocating for alternatives to detention, such as diversion programs and restorative justice practices, which focus on repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior rather than simply punishing the offender.

Data Collection and Research

To inform their work, UNICEF EAPRO conducts data collection and research on the situation of children and young people in the region. This research helps to identify trends and patterns, as well as the underlying causes of social exclusion and involvement in the justice system. By understanding these factors, UNICEF EAPRO can develop more effective interventions and advocate for evidence-based policies that address the needs of vulnerable children.

Capacity Building

UNICEF EAPRO also focuses on capacity building, providing training and support to professionals who work with children and young people in conflict with the law. This includes law enforcement officers, judges, social workers, and educators. By equipping these professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively support children, UNICEF EAPRO aims to create a more child-friendly justice system and a more inclusive society.

Partnerships and Collaboration

Partnerships and collaboration are central to UNICEF EAPRO’s approach. They work closely with governments, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to coordinate efforts and maximize the impact of their work. By collaborating with a wide range of partners, UNICEF EAPRO is able to leverage resources and expertise to better support children and young people in the region.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Finally, UNICEF EAPRO places a strong emphasis on monitoring and evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of their programs. By regularly assessing the impact of their interventions, they can make data-driven decisions and continuously improve their work. This also allows them to demonstrate the impact of their work to donors and other stakeholders, ensuring continued support for their efforts.

In conclusion, UNICEF EAPRO’s work with children and young people in conflict with the law or at risk of social exclusion is comprehensive and multifaceted. By promoting child rights, providing legal aid and social services, addressing the root causes of exclusion, engaging in policy advocacy and reform, conducting research, building capacity, fostering partnerships, and monitoring and evaluating their programs, UNICEF EAPRO is making a significant difference in the lives of vulnerable children and young people in the region. Their work is helping to create a more just and inclusive society, where all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Currently the portfolio of Justice for Children is held by Dr. Lucio Valerio Sarandrea, Child Protection Specialist.

June Kunugi

June Kunugi took up her position as UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific in July 2024.

In her role, she is responsible for programme coherence, advocacy, and oversight across the region which comprises 28 countries covered by 14 offices and teams in Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Viet Nam, Pacific Islands (based in Fiji), Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.

Ms. Kunugi has worked in UNICEF for over 32 years at country and headquarters levels. Before taking up her current role, she was the Director of UNICEF’s Public Partnerships Division. She oversaw the organization’s resource mobilization from the public sector, its engagement with permanent missions and governments on multilateral affairs in the inter-governmental space, and its UN partnerships.

Prior to that, she headed UNICEF country and area offices in Myanmar, the State of Palestine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Ms. Kunugi has served three times in UNICEF’s New York Headquarters - in the Division of Public Affairs, the Office of the Executive Director, and as Deputy Director and then acting Director of UNICEF’s Public-Sector Alliances and Resource Mobilization. She was also the Director of UNICEF’s Tokyo office, overseeing public sector partnerships and resource mobilization in Japan and the Republic of Korea.

She started her career in UNICEF working in Communications, including in Viet Nam as a Junior Professional Officer sponsored by the Government of Japan, and later in Bangladesh, first as Communications officer, then as Chief of the section.

Ms. Kunugi is a national of Japan. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) degree with a double major in East Asian Studies and Romance Languages and Literatures from Wesleyan University in the United States, and a Master of Science in Journalism from Columbia University.