Children and young people

Children's rights are enshrined above all in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It was adopted in 1990 and Liechtenstein ratified it in 1995. Its provisions were largely enshrined in the Children and Youth Act (KJG) of 2009. This underlines their importance for Liechtenstein. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child primarily strengthens the participation rights of children and young people. With 193 states parties, it is the most successful international human rights convention of all.

Numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations are active in the area of children's rights, such as the Children and Youth Service in the Office for Social Services, the Education Office, the Ombudsman's Office for Children and Young People (OSKJ), which operates under the umbrella of the VMR, and the KINDERLOBBY LIECHTENSTEIN, which is made up of various non-governmental organizations. They are committed to the protection, promotion and participation of children and young people in accordance with the provisions of the KJG and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Council of Europe conventions on children's rights ratified by Liechtenstein.

Both the Children and Youth Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child demand the highest attainable standard of health for children and young people. This includes appropriate measures relating to both physical and mental health.

In this way, health can be promoted and maintained as early as possible and in a sustainable manner. This also includes state prevention and support measures for mental health. Children and young people should be able to grow up and develop in a healthy and unencumbered way. This is why the OSKJ is in favour of a psychiatric concept that is suitable for children and young people.

Psychiatric concept for the Principality of LiechtensteinBullying and cyberbullying are forms of violence that can hurt children and young people. Bullying can happen at school, in sports clubs or online, for example, when children or young people repeatedly and deliberately insult, laugh at, exclude or even hit others. Bullying against children or young people can also happen online, for example when someone spreads insults, embarrassing photos or videos about others via social media, chats or emails. This phenomenon is known as cyberbullying. Children and young people can be victims, but unfortunately they can also be perpetrators. Cyberbullying can be particularly bad because the perpetrators post anonymously and messages can spread very quickly.

Bullying and cyberbullying can make children and young people sad, helpless, anxious or angry and put them at serious risk. It is therefore important for those affected to be able to talk to people they trust, such as parents, teachers, school social workers or friends, and for the bullying to be taken seriously. Children and adolescents who observe bullying should also be able to actively approach people they trust and report the bullying they have observed. If necessary, they can also find help together with caregivers, for example at counselling centres or at the OSKJ (see links).

In the first few years of life, children learn important life skills. Parents are primarily responsible for their healthy development. The state, municipalities and private organisations support them in this.

Early support helps parents to create a good environment for their children and ensures fair opportunities for all. There are many services for families in Liechtenstein. Since 2018, the Coordination and Counselling Centre for Early Intervention (KBFF) has been advising parents in the Parent-Child Forum.

The Liechtenstein Family Network, a project of the Sophie von Liechtenstein Foundation and the Red Cross, was founded in 2022. Both organisations have been advising parents for years. The network provides long-term, preventative support to families with children under the age of five in difficult life situations. Like other support services, it can be found in the House of Families in Schaan.

When young people are detained, it is often the last measure that the authorities have to take due to a lack of milder alternatives. The rights of juveniles must also be particularly protected during detention. The Council of Europe has drawn up rules on this, which Liechtenstein must also adhere to. These rules emphasise that detention should only be a last resort and must be as short as possible. For their protection, juveniles should be housed separately from detained adults. The authorities must protect the health of detained young people, including their mental health, to the best of their ability. A good daily structure in detention also serves this purpose. Education, leisure activities and visits from family and legal counsellors must be possible in detention. Violence or discriminatory treatment are strictly prohibited.

In Liechtenstein, juvenile detention is regulated by the Juvenile Courts Act and the Criminal Code. The minimum age for imprisonment is 14 years. There is no juvenile detention centre in Liechtenstein. Juveniles are first taken to the national prison for pre-trial detention. A place in a youth detention centre in Switzerland or Austria is then sought. Special measures are taken for juveniles in the national prison. However, the measures are not standardised or set out in writing, nor are they specifically reviewed. The VMR is calling for better regulations here. The Aliens Act also provides for detention under immigration law for juveniles aged 15 and over. However, this is not enforced in practice as it contradicts the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Even after the amendment to child custody law in 2015, which provides for joint custody as the norm, many parents have difficulties agreeing on a care solution for their joint children or honouring existing agreements due to disputes.

Court proceedings regarding custody, maintenance or visiting rights often take a long time. This puts a strain on everyone involved, exacerbates the dispute and can lead to children losing contact with one parent.

It is important to find good solutions quickly that put the child's welfare at the centre. To this end, authorities and organisations must work closely together to defuse disputes at an early stage and facilitate a fair settlement.