i-ACCESS MyRights final conference

Missed this event? Read the summary and watch the recorded sessions.

For the last two years, the i-ACCESS MyRights project has focused on enhancing children's access to justice by developing innovative, AI-based solutions that help young people navigate criminal proceedings and understand their rights, all while keeping children’s rights at the core of AI use and development.

Central to our project is an AI-powered, multilingual chatbot designed to provide children with accessible legal guidance. The chatbot has been developed, tested and monitored to protect children’s safety and needs, and children have been consulted at every step of the development and pilot process. While the project focuses on supporting children in Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania, its findings are relevant across and beyond Europe.
 

As we reach the concluding stages of the i-ACCESS MyRights Project, the i-ACCESS Final Regional Conference will take place on the 28th  and 29th of November 2024 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and it will gather experts on children's rights, child justice, and digital innovation, to explore together how digital innovation can address and improve access to justice for children. 

The event will focus on pressing issues at the intersection of child rights and technology, with discussions on topics such as:

• Ethics and children’s rights in AI
• AI business role in safeguarding children's rights 
• AI potential and limitations to address child justice issues
• Promoting meaningful child participation.

We invite legal practitioners, child rights experts, AI experts, policy and decision-makers from the EU to join us in Sofia to explore together how we can responsibly harness AI to create tools that help children better understand their rights within the justice system.

Please register your interest here by the 17th of November, and we will confirm available places. Limited spots are still available, and Terre des hommes might ensure and cover travel arrangements for participants.

If you are unable to attend in person but would like access to recorded sessions, please register your interest here.

We invite you to join us: together, we can shape the future of digital solutions for child justice. The event promises to be not only a platform for expert insights and cross-border learning, but also a collaborative space to ensure that digital justice, and digital spaces in general, keep children’s rights and needs front and centre. 

This conference represents the latest in a series of i-ACCESS initiatives aimed at enhancing AI literacy among child rights professionals and advocating for child-centred digital justice solutions.

If you want to learn more about the intersection of AI and child justice, you can watch our webinar series, and download our publications:

• The potential and limitations of Artificial Intelligence chatbots to improve children’s access to child-friendly justice 
  Insights on how AI chatbots can bridge gaps in access to justice by offering child-friendly legal guidance.
• Legal and Ethical Framework, Risk Analysis and Mitigation Strategy: A comprehensive guide to navigating child rights, privacy and ethical considerations in AI design.
• Artificial Intelligence Glossary Tailored for child justice and child rights professionals, this glossary clarifies essential AI concepts to support child-centred AI development.
• Policy brief on Technology and AI in the Child Justice Systems: The implications for children's human rights.

Co-funded by the Justice Programme of the European Union, i-ACCESS MyRights is implemented by Terre des hommes Regional Hub in Hungary, Terre des hommes Hellas, Terre des hommes Romania, Social Activities and Practice Institute in Bulgaria, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, Noldus in the Netherlands and Lawren.io in Belgium. 

To learn more about i-ACCESS, visit the project page.

Among the speakers

John Carr

Co-founder of the UK’s Internet Watch Foundation, John Carr is a pioneering figure in online child protection, with extensive experience advising governments, international organisations, and technology companies. He has contributed to global efforts against online child exploitation. authored key works on cybersecurity and child safety.

Theo Gavrielides

Professor Theo Gavrielides is a leading expert in restorative justice, equality, and human rights. He founded the Restorative Justice for All (RJ4All) International Institute and the related publishing arm, RJ4All Publications.  With a focus on justice reform, his work bridges theory and practice to empower marginalised communities and advocate for systemic change.

Martin Gramatikov

Dr Martin Gramatikov is the Knowledge and Research Director at HiiL, with over 25 years of experience in access to justice, dispute resolution, and people-centred justice. Holding a law degree and a PhD in political science from the University of Sofia, he specialises in empirical legal studies on justice needs and effective interventions. Martin focuses on refining HiiL’s methods for delivering people-centred justice.

Victoria Hendrickx

Victoria Hendrickx is a PhD researcher examining the impact of emerging digital technologies on the judiciary. Within the i-ACCESS MyRights project, she focuses on the legal and ethical frameworks and risk mitigation strategies. She will discuss the central role of children’s rights throughout the project, considerations regarding the privacy and data protection, and adherence to the AI Act.

Boglárka Jánoskúti

Boglárka Jánoskúti is a child rights expert with deep expertise in children's rights, migration, and child-safe technology. Her consultancy work spans international organisations, promoting safer, equitable digital environments for children. At present,  she's an external consultant at the Council of Europe, Terre des hommes Europe and Hintalovon (ECPAT Hungary) foundation.

Viktória Kaslik 

Viktória is a jurist and design researcher. Working in the Access to Justice Regional Programme at Terre des hommes Hungary, she is responsible for restorative justice-related projects, development, and research. She sees restorative philosophy as a force that transforms the contemporary societal landscape, redefines individual agency, and heals human and non-human communities.

Dóra Kiss

Dr. Dóra Kiss is the Regional Access to Justice Programme Coordinator at Terre des hommes, overseeing work across seven European delegations. A passionate legal professional, she specialises in children’s rights, child justice, and international law, with a focus on AI, child-friendly justice, social cohesion, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV),

 Wendy O’Brien

Dr Wendy O’Brien works with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC, Vienna) on human rights-based criminal justice reform and equal access to justice, with a key focus on technology and human rights. She is also a seasoned academic and editor of global perspectives on violence prevention.

 

Fanni Somfai

Dr Fanni Somfai is the Project Officer for the i-ACCESS MyRights initiative at Terre des Hommes Hungary, where she advances access to justice for child victims using AI-driven tools. She volunteers as a legal advisor with FutureVision Association and holds an LL.M. focused on child protection in the digital world. Fanni previously contributed to policies on women’s and children’s rights at the European Parliament.

Péter Tóth 

Dr Péter Tóth is an attorney-at-law and legal engineer specialising in data protection, AI regulation, and digital compliance for TMT industry companies and large corporate clients. Since 2022, he has been a core member of the OPLgunnercooke’s legaltech team, offering innovative solutions like legal process optimisation, technological consulting and bespoke software development.

Ayça Atabey 

Ayça Atabey is a lawyer and a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, conducting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of law, education, and child-computer interaction. Her current research focuses on child-centred AI design and co-creation of children's rights-respecting policy frameworks for fostering responsible GenAI in the school system. She has been a consultant on gender equality, AI, and data protection.

Manu Krishan

Manu Krishan is a human rights consultant and project manager specialising in child justice, sustainability, and emerging technologies. He was responsible for the coordination of the United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty. His work integrates ethical research with innovative approaches to enhance children’s rights globally.

Panagiota Kanellopoulou

Panagiota Kanellopoulou is a lawyer registered with the Athens Bar Association, holds an interdisciplinary Master of Science in Youth Justice and is a mediator accredited by the Ministry of Justice. She is the Access to Justice Project Coordinator at Terre des hommes Hellas on restorative justice, children's rights and child-friendly justice projects. has worked with children and families from vulnerable populations, including refugee children and unaccompanied minors, children in contact with the law and child victims.

Partners and donors

The project is implemented by Terre des hommes Regional Hub in Hungary, Terre des hommes Hellas, Terre des hommes Romania, Social Activities and Practice Institute in Bulgaria, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, Noldus in the Netherlands and Lawren.io in Belgium. 

i-ACCESS MyRights is co-funded by the Justice Programme of the European Union.