Summer School Frontiers of Children’s Rights '26

Start date:
29 June 2026

Duration:
5 days

Legal area:
Jeugdrecht

Course:
Conference

About
Program
Speakers
Location
Price

Registration
In order to start the registration of the Summer School, we kindly ask you to submit your CV and Cover letter (to: n.r.s.dole@law.leidenuniv.nl). Once we have checked and approved your CV and Cover letter via email you can proceed with your application and make the final payment.

About the Summer School
Leiden University's Summer School on International Children's Rights reaffirms its commitment to exploring how to protect and promote children's rights amidst the complexities of our ever-changing world. This year, we provide a platform for learning, collaboration, and reflection on one of the most critical and transformative areas in children’s rights today. For the 12th edition, our focus is on “Advancing Children’s Rights Globally: Accountability and Access to Justice.”

Through this theme, we examine accountability and how access to justice functions across the many contexts in which children’s rights are challenged and defended. Children affected by conflict are exposed to violence, displacement, and the collapse of systems meant to protect them, while those navigating migration routes face uncertainty, exploitation, and significant legal and practical barriers to seeking justice. Educational settings and digital environments, though offering opportunities for learning, participation, and connection, often present challenges related to inclusion, safety, and meaningful remedies when rights are violated. Shrinking civic spaces and shifting political landscapes further constrain children’s participation and undermine mechanisms designed to hold duty-bearers to account.

Meanwhile, climate change intensifies risks across all these contexts, disproportionately affecting children, particularly those from ethnic minority and Indigenous communities, through increased exposure to natural disasters, food insecurity, displacement, and environmental harm. By exploring these interlinked challenges through a children’s rights lens, the programme highlights the urgent need to strengthen accountability frameworks and ensure that children can meaningfully access justice when their rights are threatened or violated.

This year’s programme underscores the essential role of effective accountability mechanisms, including legal, administrative, community-based, and international mechanisms, in empowering, protecting, and giving voice to children. Promoting access to justice involves not only ensuring that remedies exist, but also that they are child-centred, inclusive, and capable of addressing both individual harms and broader systemic inequalities. Throughout the week, participants will engage with dynamic discussions, lectures, and case studies that illuminate the complexities of enforcing children’s rights and explore how different actors, including governments, courts, businesses, digital platforms, civil society, and international organisations, share responsibility for upholding those rights. Central to these conversations is a commitment to integrating children’s perspectives, recognising their agency, and amplifying their voices in justice processes.

Building on Leiden University's esteemed reputation in international children's rights, the programme features distinguished academic and professional experts from around the world. Engaging presentations will explore the challenges and opportunities surrounding accountability and access to justice, offering both conceptual depth and practical insights. The programme includes an excursion to a leading international organisation in The Hague and concludes with a keynote speech reflecting on this year’s theme.

With a maximum of 40 participants, our summer school offers a unique opportunity to learn from leading experts in children's rights and international law. The programme fosters networking among participants, including students, researchers, and practitioners from across the globe. Join us for an enriching and interactive learning experience at Leiden University, deepening your understanding of how accountability and access to justice can shape the future of children’s rights worldwide. We look forward to welcoming you to our dynamic and engaging programme.

Conference Speakers
The programme is being developed by Prof. Ton Liefaard, Head of the Department of Child Law, Leiden Law School (Leiden University) and UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights and Prof. Ann Skelton, Programme Director of the Master of Laws Advanced Studies in International Children's Rights (Leiden University), and of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. The agenda of the programme will be uploaded soon.

Target audience
This summer school is aimed at professionals, academics and law students (who have completed at least three years of their degree) with a background in law. Applicants with a background in other relevant disciplines that are relevant to the theme of the summer school will be considered as well.

To ensure active participation and exchange with teaching staff and fellow participants, a maximum of 40 participants will be admitted to this course.

We welcome participants from all over the world to our international classroom.

Level
Advanced Law | Professionals

Remote attendance

Unfortunately, remote attendance is not available for this conference.

Recommended Hotels

Due to the high demand for hotel rooms during this period, we recommend booking accommodation well in advance.