Award-winning Child Rights Lawyer Bhuwan Ribhu to Lead ‘Justice for Children Worldwide’
In a proud moment for India, child rights lawyer Bhuwan Ribhu will lead ‘Justice for Children Worldwide’ a landmark global platform to ensure access to justice and protection for children across borders. Under the aegis of World Jurist Association, the movement will begin in 25 countries and will expand across the world. The announcement came at the World Law Congress 2025, held in the Dominican Republic, where Bhuwan Ribhu was also honoured with the prestigious Medal of Honour, in the presence of over 1,500 jurists, including judges, child rights advocates, and legal experts from 70 countries.
The newly launched platform—Justice for Children Worldwide—is the first global initiative to unite legal experts, institutions, and governments in strengthening child rights through the rule of law. Under Bhuwan Ribhu’s leadership, a powerful international network of lawyers and jurists will be built to combat crimes against children, protect and promote child rights, and strengthen legal responses across the globe.
“Justice for every child must be a global priority,” said Bhuwan Ribhu, adding “Emerging borderless crimes demand a borderless response. Strengthening the rule of law for children is not only a basic right—it is essential for freedom, equality, and the future of civilization itself.”
A core element of the platform will be the maintenance of a high-level roster of senior lawyers offering pro bono support within their jurisdictions. The platform will also train a new generation of legal professionals in child rights jurisprudence, catalyse legal reform through strategic litigation and cross-border collaboration, and strengthen child-focused jurisprudence and access to justice mechanisms.
Lauding the announcement, WJA President Javier Cremades said: “This initiative, with Bhuwan at the helm, will deepen our understanding of the rule of law from diverse global perspectives. It is time to foster a culture of collaboration and partnership across borders, and ensure access to justice for every child.”
In India, Bhuwan Ribhu is the architect of Just Rights for Children (JRC)—the country's largest legal intervention network for child protection. In just the past two years, JRC has helped prevent over 300,000 child marriages, rescued more than 85,000 trafficked children, and supported the prosecution of over 54,000 traffickers and abusers.
In over two decades, he has filed and led over 60 PILs that have resulted in landmark rulings in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts. A 2011 case argued by him led the Supreme Court to define trafficking in line with the UN Protocol. In 2013, his legal campaign spotlighted India’s missing children crisis, resulting in a historic judgment.
Bhuwan Ribhu has also driven major legal and policy reforms to combat both online and offline child sexual exploitation, including the downloading and viewing of Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM). He has also worked to end impunity for child rape and played a key role in shaping India’s legal roadmap to end child marriage.
With over 60 years of global advocacy, the World Jurist Association remains one of the few international organisations committed to promoting the rule of law as the foundation for peace, justice, and democracy.
