Prefaces Message from the United Nations Task Force on the Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty Five years ago, the General Assembly, following a recommendation by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in accordance with article 45 (c) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, invited the Secretary-General to commission an in-depth Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty. We welcome this Study by the Independent Expert, containing research findings and recommendations for future actions. We want to thank the Independent Expert, Professor Manfred Nowak, who with the support of the United Nations system, Member States, academia, civil society and children themselves conducted and completed the Global Study. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, yet countless children continue to suffer severe violations of their human rights. Legally, we have a very strong international framework. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, its Optional Protocols, and other international standards provide fundamental guidance to all aspects of deprivation of liberty and even when new issues or concerns emerge, they cannot contradict these protections and guarantees for children. Based on the fundamental principle of the best interests of the child, States are required to absolutely minimise the detention of children, and in some cases prohibit it altogether by developing and applying appropriate non-custodial solutions. It is our strong hope that this Study will mark a turning point in ending the invisibility and overcoming the vulnerability, stigmatisation and social exclusion of children deprived of liberty. As the research confirms, these children are often neglected by policies and data in countries around the world. Indeed, some of the key findings and recommendations of the Study relate to unavailability of comprehensive data, which is vital to understand the scope of the deprivation of liberty of children globally, as well as to assess the progress made as a result of policy changes. Sadly, the saying that “the ones who are not counted do not count” reflects well the harsh reality of children deprived of liberty. This situation is very far from the promise “to leave no one behind” in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. For this reason, we call on all of us to put these children first. For children deprived of liberty achieving the Sustainable Development Goals are essential: Goal 1 on poverty eradication, which is a significant risk factor for deprivation of liberty; Goal 3 on health; Goal 4 on education; and very importantly, Goal 16 on access to justice, prevention and protection of children from violence and legal identity. Investing in these areas will decrease the number of children deprived of liberty while improving the conditions for those who still are. Recognising that this issue cuts across the Sustainable Development Agenda, a UN Inter-Agency Task Force on the Global Study was established as a platform to provide UN system-wide support to the development of the study. The Task Force consisted of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children (Chair), the Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral for Children and Armed Conflict, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Organization for Migration, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund. VII