The participation of children in protection and criminal justice proceedings: International & Quebec perspectives
Mar 18, 2025 — 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The participation of children in protection and criminal justice proceedings: International & Quebec perspectives
This conference presents the results of international research on the participation of children in child protection proceedings and in criminal justice proceedings for young people. It also allows for a dialogue between judges who practice in these fields and who will share their experience on good practices promoting the participation of children in respect of their rights. The international research was conducted within the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates (IAYFJM) with dozens of participating countries. The editor-in-chief of the AIMJF Chronicle, Eduardo Rezende Melo, a judge in Brazil, coordinated the research and will present the main results. The Honorable Mélanie Roy and the Honorable Anne-Marie Otis are judges of the Youth Division in Montreal who participated in this research. They will provide a Quebec perspective on the opportunities and limitations of children's participation in legal proceedings.
Eduardo Rezende Melo
Judge in São Paulo, Brazil
Eduardo Rezende Melo has been a judge in São Paulo, Brazil, since 1991. His academic background includes the following stages: Postdoctoral fellow at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the New University of Lisbon, Portugal; Doctorate in Law (Human Rights) - USP University of São Paulo; Master's Degree in Philosophy - PUC/SP; Master's degree in Advanced Studies in Children's Rights - University of Fribourg/Switzerland; Research associate in the “Human Rights, Democracy and Memory” research group at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IEA) at USP. He is Pedagogical Coordinator at the São Paulo State Magistrates School on children's rights, Editor-in-Chief and Research Coordinator of the Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates (AIMJF), and Former President of the ABMP - Brazilian Association of Magistrates, Prosecutors and Public Defenders of Children and Youth.
Mélanie Roy
Juge en chef adjointe, Chambre de la jeunesse
The Hon. Mélanie Roy has been a Juge en chef adjointe of the Chambre de la jeunesse since 2024. She also sits as a member of the Conseil de la magistrature du Québec (Quebec Judicial Council). Appointed a judge at the Court of Quebec, Chambre de la jeunesse de Longueuil, in 2011, she has since held the position of associate coordinating judge at the Chambre de la jeunesse de la Montérégie region and was coordinating judge for this region until December 2023. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she practised juvenile law at the Montérégie Youth Centre after being sworn in in 1997. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Sherbrooke and a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Montreal.
Anne-Marie Otis
Juge à la Cour du Québec, Chambre de la jeunesse
Anne-Marie Otis was appointed a juge à la Cour du Québec, Chambre de la jeunesse, in 2015. Admitted to the Bar in 1998, she has spent her entire legal career as a criminal prosecutor. In 2010, she was appointed Deputy Public Prosecutor and, in 2012, Chief Public Prosecutor of the Office of the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, Youth Division. Throughout her career, she has served on several committees within the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions and the Quebec Court of Appeal. She has also served on numerous liaison committees on youth issues and on various committees of the Barreau du Québec.