A/74/136 made about them. The findings show how children deprived of their liberty experience fear, isolation, trauma and harm in addition to discrimination, stigma and disempowerment. 25. Children also shared experiences of resilience and hope and highlighted the importance of friendships with peers and adults whom they could trust and who were working in their best interests. Many children had positive aspirations for a future beyond detention, where they would reunite with their families and friends and enjoy a life as independent human beings contributing to their communities. They saw education and skills development as integral to their achieving a better life. C. Impact on health 26. All children have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and States shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of hi s or her right of access to health care services (Convention on the Rights of the Child, art. 24). In research conducted for the study, a group of distinguished health professionals and academics attempted to analyse the impact which deprivation of liberty of children has on their physical and mental health. The research, informed by over 7,000 scientific articles, reveals that the particular circumstances of detention are directly harmful to the mental and physical health of children across all situations of deprivation of liberty. 27. Although there is a great deal of evidence that children who experience deprivation of liberty have poor health, research shows that there is little scientific evidence that detention is the primary factor for causing health problems, since those children often belong to the most disadvantaged and discriminated groups, with pre-existing or co-occurring health problems. 28. Research shows that exposure to unsanitary conditions of detention increases the risk of infections. Overcrowded places of detention in which people with communicable diseases and sexually transmitted infections are held promote the spread of such diseases. Unnecessary restrictions on movement and physical activity negatively impact the physical development of a child. 29. Many children deprived of liberty experience post-traumatic stress disorders, in particular when in solitary confinement. Abuse or negl ect while in detention often produce or compound mental and cognitive health problems, such as anxiety, depression, developmental delays and even regression of language. In some cases, the state of psychiatric disorders of children during detention as comp ared with the mental health of the same children prior to detention increases tenfold. There is a correlation between deprivation of liberty and higher rates of early death of children in that situation compared with their community peers, most often due t o drug overdose, suicide, injury and violence. D. Children with disabilities 30. The deprivation of liberty of children with disabilities results from the cumulative effect of the State failure to ensure their rights in accordance with the human rights model of disability as expressed in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006. 31. Children with disabilities are significantly overrepresented in detention in the context of administration of justice and institutions. It is estimated that one out of three children in institutions is a child with disabilities. 8/23 19-11838

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