In the lead up to the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, jurists, prosecutors, rule of law pioneers, and child rights experts from more than 60 countries convened for a webinar on "Child Trafficking: Strengthening Accountability," organised by Jurists for Children Worldwide (JCW), a joint initiative of the World Jurist Association and Just Rights for Children.
Opening Remarks
The session opened with remarks from Bhuwan Ribhu, Chair and Co-Founder of Jurists for Children Worldwide (JCW) and Founder of Just Rights for Children, followed by a video message from Javier Cremades, Co-Founder of JCW and President of the World Jurist Association. Together, they framed the webinar's central challenge: closing the gap between the rule of law that exists on paper and the rule of justice that must actually reach every child in time.
Expert Discussion
A moderated discussion, chaired by Dr. Geeta Sekhon, Global Consultant to the United Nations, brought together three perspectives on strengthening accountability:
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Amy O'Neill Richard, Senior Director for Human Rights & Freedom at the McCain Institute, spoke to the global scale of the crisis and the shared responsibility it demands across governments, civil society, survivors, the private sector and beyond.
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Dr. Mark Charoenwong, Expert Public Prosecutor at Thailand's Office of the Attorney General, addressed practical challenges and good practices in strengthening prosecutions in child trafficking cases.
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Rachna Tyagi, Partner at Ethicus Legal, examined how strategic litigation has combatted child trafficking, drawing on landmark judgements that have shaped India's legal and institutional response over the past two decades.
Together, the discussion moved from diagnosis to direction, surfacing concrete gaps in enforcement, cross-border coordination, institutional accountability, while pointing toward what a coordinated global response could look like.
