In the scope of degrading treatment by police, children’s narratives highlighted patterns of emasculating language with boys and sexualised language with girls. One of the girls said that the police officer asked her if she wanted to go home with him and sexually harassed her. A girl in another setting reported: ‘I was searched in a way that violated my privacy as I was searched by a police officer.’ (F/12-18/1:AFG) One transgender young person described how he was verbally abused by the police, using profane language such as: ‘Lesbian motherfucker, he thinks he’s a man’ (M/17-20/1:LAC) The same person reported how he was treated better by the staff of the rehabilitation centre, who respected him because they noticed he was uncomfortable when they called him by his birth name. In comparison, a transgender boy in another setting explained that he felt discriminated against outside in the community, but not in the institution where he was deprived of liberty. Finally, several children spoke of the need to address the stigma that accompanies children who are detained after they are released. For example, one child valued the social skills that would improve their social relations so that ‘people outside will like me’. (M/14-17/1:WEOG) Another child referred to the importance of professionals in creating acceptance in families and communities: ‘The social workers from x work for our reintegration. They meet our parents and families to ensure that we go back safely to our families and join our parents without any problem in the future after we finish our sentence here’. (M/14-17/1:APG) 4.5 Aspirations Amidst all of this, however, children involved in the consultations spoke about their hopes and aspirations for the future and for their lives beyond detention: ‘The fact we are deprived of liberty, doesn’t mean we have no future!’ (M/14-21/2:EEG) 109