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The Riyadh Guidelines
The United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of
Juvenile Delinquency, otherwise referred to as “Riyadh
Guidelines,” are a resolution by the UN General Assembly
regarding the prevention of juvenile delinquency.
While the guidelines are focused on the prevention of
juvenile offending, the document is clear that violence
in juvenile justice settings should be avoided. Paragraph
21(h) states that education systems should apply particular
attention to the avoidance of harsh disciplinary measures,
particularly corporal punishment. Paragraph 54 states that
no child or young person should be subjected to harsh or
degrading correction or punishment measures at home,
in schools or in any other institutions. The guidelines also
state that Member States should introduce legislation
to ensure the prevention of abuse, victimisation and
exploitation of children and young people.
The Havana Rules
The United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles
Deprived of their Liberty, otherwise referred to as the
“Havana Rules”, are a resolution of the UN General
Assembly regarding the treatment of children and young
people who have been deprived of their liberty. The Rules
set out minimum standards for the protection of children
and young people deprived of their liberty, in line with
human rights standards. The Rules are meant to be a
supplement to the Beijing Rules.
The Rules state that juvenile justice systems should uphold
the rights and safety of children as well as promoting
the physical and mental well-being of juvenile offenders.
Rule 67 says that all disciplinary measures constituting
cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment shall be strictly
prohibited, including corporal punishment.
World report on violence against children
The United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on
Violence against Children was published in 2006. It is
the most comprehensive study ever into the many forms
of violence suffered by children in different parts of
the world and in different settings. The Study made 12
major recommendations to national Governments and
international bodies.
The UN Violence Study made an additional 13
recommendations in relation to children in care
or custody:
1. Prohibit all violence in care and justice systems;
2. Ensure institutionalisation is a last resort, and
prioritise alternatives;
3. Ensure quality staffing and training;
4. Ensure police, referral agencies, lawyers, judges,
institution managers and staff know about and can
put children’s rights into practice;
5. Ensure court systems are sensitive to the needs of
children and their families;
6. Regularly reassess placements to see whether
detention is still necessary; ensure children (and
their parents) are involved in these reviews;
7. Ensure effective complaints, investigation and
enforcement mechanisms;
8. Ensure effective sanctions against perpetrators of
violence, including those who run institutions;
9. Ensure effective monitoring and private access to
children in custody so they can freely talk about
their experiences;
10. Ensure the registration and collection of data so
that children’s views and experiences are known
and progress towards ending violence in custody
can be measured;
11. Ensure that the use of detention is reduced so it is
used only as a very last resort for those children
who pose a real danger to others;
12. Introduce legal reform to ensure children cannot be
subject to violence as a punishment for offending;
13. Establish child-focused juvenile justice systems for
all children up to the age of 18.
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