"I would like to thank the USAID Rule of Law Program and the American people for giving me the opportunity to participate in this wonderful program. My visit to the Netherlands was a useful experience for me as a practicing judge and professor. Of course, I will use this experience again for students and society." – said Judge Levan Darbaidze from Gori District Court, who just completed his visit (July 2-15) to the Netherlands.

During his time in the city of Leiden, Judge Darbaidze undertook a comprehensive training course in International Children's Rights at the University of Leiden. Judge Darbaidze was grateful for the opportunity to become acquainted with the latest challenges and trends in the field of children's rights in Europe.

The course covered topics such as the main directions of the activities of the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of the Child, the Children's Ombudsman, and the House of Children's Rights. He also studied the international principles of child-friendly justice, international standards of protection for minors in conflict with the law, access to the justice system for minors, effective means of protecting children who are victims of violence, the role of judges in considering cases involving children in conflict with the law, the main principles of sentencing minors, international trends in the development of a restorative justice system, the role of diversion-mediation, resocialization-rehabilitation of children in the case, the challenges of minor migration, children's rights in the digital world, guarantees of constitutional protection of children's rights, and the importance of the child ombudsman institution in a democratic society.

In addition to the course, Judge Darbaidze had the opportunity to visit the courts of Leiden and The Hague, where he observed court procedures and gained valuable insights into the daily life of a judges. He attended court proceedings in criminal, civil, and family law, and also met with judges and court presiding officers. During these interactions, he learned about the basic principles that contribute to creating a child-friendly environment in Dutch courts, including modern courtrooms, common working rooms of judges, fully electronic proceedings in courts, and modern European spaces designed for questioning child victims and witnesses, as well as child rehabilitation institutions.

“I had meaningful meetings at the Leiden House of Children's Rights, where I engaged in interesting discussions with researchers working in this field. I met with other professionals involved in juvenile justice, including prosecutors, social workers, and psychologists, with whom I discussed contemporary challenges and perspectives in the field of juvenile justice. It was an extremely valuable opportunity.” – said Judge Darbaidze.