Handbook on the Defense of Children in Conflict with Law

It is important to note that it is only very recently that children have become, strictly speaking, subjects of law. Admittedly, in ancient Rome as in our traditional societies, children were considered objects (they had the same status as slaves), hence the term "infans," meaning "one who does not speak." As such, they were subject to the decisions of adults (especially the pater familias). It was in the 18th century that society began to gradually recognize the status of children. Society began to view them as the adults of tomorrow. After 1924, more than 80 international legal instruments were adopted that referred directly or indirectly to children. Thus, we moved from declaratory law to binding law. Most recently, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of November 20, 1989, at the international level, and Law No. 09/001 of January 10, 2009, on the protection of children, at the national level, stand as the legal expression of the recognition and protection of the rights and duties accorded to children as subjects of law.