30/03/2026
Identity & Justice: A Call from Care-Experienced Young People
This statement comes from young people who have been removed from various institutions and have lived experience of the care system.
Today, we came together with government representatives, child rights bodies, civil society organizations, and legal advocates in a program focused on Identity and Justice. We shared our lived realities—not as statistics or reports, but as truth from experience.
We are the story,
We are the truth,
We are the evidence to change the policy.
A central issue we raised is identity loss. For many of us, identity has been changed, erased, or fragmented—through shifts in name, culture, language, religion, and even legal identity. For some, citizenship itself remains a major challenge.
We are also deeply concerned for the 10,193 children in 366 child care home or institutional care who are currently living , who may face similar identity-related challenges when they transition out of care.
One reflection shared today captured this reality clearly:
We feel like a pendulum—never fully belonging to family after reunification, and not fully belonging to the institutions where we spent much of our lives.
This is not just an individual experience. It reflects systemic gaps that require urgent attention.
Key messages from care-experienced young people:
• Children and young people must be meaningfully involved in all policies and decisions that affect their lives
• The State must take full responsibility for citizenship and legal identity, rather than relying on temporary care institutions
• No child should grow up without family, belonging, and a protected identity
• Institutional harm or exploitation must be addressed through strong legal accountability
• Care-experienced young people must be included in policy-making process, not only consultations
