Painful restraint measures in youth care violate human rights
In the media
Staff in Dutch youth care institutions use pain to control children. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture says this violates the European Convention on Human Rights. Mariëlle Bruning, Professor of Children and the Law, commented in the media.
Within secure youth care institutions in the Netherlands, the use of pain as a means of restraint is still used by staff. This raises serious legal and ethical questions and could potentially violate the prohibition of torture in the European Convention on Human Rights. This was the conclusion reached by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), which monitors compliance with the prohibition of torture.
Last year, the CPT made an emergency visit to the Netherlands. In the files they examined, the Committee found accounts of pain, bruises and even a broken arm after incidents with staff. The use of so-called 'pain stimuli' is prohibited by Dutch law. According to Professor Bruning, it is highly unusual that the visit took place: 'The CPT focuses on inhuman and degrading treatment. It usually visits prisons and institutions for immigration detention. The fact that they came so quickly says something about how seriously they took the situation.’
More information?
Read the full article in Trouw of 10-07-2025 (€, in Dutch)
Read the article in Trouw of 11-07-2025 (€, in Dutch)
Read the full article in de Volkskrant (€, in Dutch)
Read the full article on newssite NU.nl (in Dutch)