Suspected or accused minor procedural rights in the EU

Procedural rights of suspected or accused children in the European Union.

This report has been developed in the framework of the project “Procedural rights of children suspected or accused in the European Union (PRO-JUS)”. The PRO-JUS project aims to examine the situation of foreign minors suspected or accused in criminal proceedings as their particular vulnerability may undermine the enjoyment of the rights recognised by the three procedural directives of the European Parliament (EU Directives 2010/641, 2012/132, 2013/483).
Children face a number of obstacles, many of them related to their lack of legal capacity and their particular status as minors, in obtaining justice and demanding respect for their rights. Their vulnerability is aggravated when they are subject to criminal investigations or proceedings due to certain administrative or social conditions, such as being nationals of other countries or belonging to a marginalized minority group. Indeed, the procedural safeguards to be observed for children suspected or accused in criminal proceedings pose additional challenges to criminal justice systems when children accused or suspected are of foreign origin.

We highlight:

II.2 Foreign minors in Spain. The situation of foreign minors prosecuted or accused...........................................................12

II.2.1. Foreign minors in Spain............................................................12

II.2.2 Foreign minors subject to criminal proceedings in Spain.....13

*Research obtained through the Rights International Spain website.