NEW PROJECT: The Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism (DIPA) is proud to announce that together with the Law Faculty, we have been awarded a prestigious research grant from the Research Council of Norway for the project “Protecting Child Rights and Public Safety: Premises for the Integration of Child’s Best Interest and Crime Prevention (PROTECT)”.
PROTECT seeks to address a pressing challenge: how to protect children’s rights while maintaining public safety, particularly in cases involving violent youth crimes. The project is led by UiB Professors Dr. Linda Grøning, (Law School) and Dr. Marit Skivenes, (Dept. of Government / DIPA). Project members are professors Siri Gloppen and Ingun Fornes. The project is an inter-faculty collaboration and is situated at the Law Faculty with senior advisor Daniel Nygård as the administrative manager.
The Intersection of Child Protection and Criminal Justice
PROTECT aims to enhance understanding of how to integrate children’s rights with public safety concerns by exploring the intersection between child protection and criminal justice systems. As youth crime, including violent offenses, is rising in the Nordic countries, the project focuses on identifying ways to protect children’s rights while addressing public safety. It also aims to fill knowledge gaps in how these two systems—each with distinct legal and professional frameworks—can work together more effectively.
– The increase in violent youth crime poses a significant challenge for both child protection and criminal justice systems, says Skivenes, adding that the goal is to bridge these two fields and offer new insights on how they can better protect children while ensuring public safety.
Advancing Interdisciplinary Research
PROTECT is built on an interdisciplinary foundation, combining insights from political science, law, and social work. By employing innovative research methods, including legal and conceptual analysis, surveys, experiments, and text analysis, the project will advance understanding of how child rights can be aligned with crime prevention efforts. It will also contribute to theory development in the areas of state protection and children’s autonomy.
The project, which includes four Nordic countries—Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden—represents the first cross-country socio-legal study focusing on child rights and public safety in the context of both child protection and criminal justice systems.
Societal and Scientific Impact
In addition to shaping future research in this area, the findings will provide policymakers with a relevant theoretical and empirical foundation to improve child protection interventions and youth crime prevention strategies.
– We are confident that this project will not only advance academic knowledge but also inform real-world changes in child protection and criminal justice systems, says prof. Skivenes.
The project also aims to align with international goals, particularly the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on reducing inequalities (SDG 10), and promoting transparent, effective institutions (SDG 16).
This pioneering research project is a collaboration between Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism (DIPA) from the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the Faculty of Law, University of Bergen, with a grant of 12 million NOK over four years. The project will run from 2025 to 2029, funded by the Research Council of Norway and the host institution, the University of Bergen.
More information about the funding, selection criteria, and organisational background can be found here.
Photo: Colourbox.com