CYIL vol. 10 (2019)

CYIL 10 ȍ2019Ȏ

THE COURT OF PEERS LOST IN TIME

THE COURT OF PEERS LOST IN TIME Dalibor Jílek

Abstract: The paper focuses on the deconstruction of the normative activities of two bodies of childhood’s self-government. The authorities were set up as an educational experiment at summer camps and at an orphanage more than a hundred years ago. Their phenomenal proponent was Janusz Korczak. The first authority is the Court of Peers. The court was composed of children, drawn by lot, who were not involved in any court case at that time. While the other body, the Court Council, was elected by children. But one of the educators had to be selected as its member. Both self-government authorities decided on the consequences of misconduct of children and educators as well. The consequences were varied, particularly consisting of forgiveness, hearing with a dictum, or exceptionally by some punishment (for instance exclusion from the dormitory). The project enabled the children to exercise their rights. Children’s rights were based on the plurality of values such as autonomy, freedom and respect. Resumé: Příspěvek se zaměřuje na dekonstrukci činnosti dvou orgánů dětské samosprávy. Orgány byly ustaveny v podobě výchovného experimentu na letních táborech a v sirotčinci před více než sto roky. Jejich tvůrčím proponentem byl Janusz Korczak. Prvním orgánem je kamarádský soud. Soud byl vybírán losem z dětí, které nebyly v daném čase účastníky projednávané soudní věci. Kdežto druhý orgán, soudní rada, byl voleným tělesem. Jeho členem musel být jeden z vychovatelů. Oba samosprávné orgány rozhodovaly o následcích špatného chování dětí. Následky byly různé, spočívaly zejména v odpuštění, nebo v projed- nání stížnosti s výrokem. Nejpřísnějším trestem bylo pro dítě vyloučení z domova. Projekt umožnil dětem vykonávat svá substantivní a procesní práva. Práva dítěte byla zdůvodněna mimo jejich normativní obsah. Ta spočívala na pluralitě autonomie, svobody a respektu. Na těchto základech taktéž stojí Úmluva o právech dítěte. Key words: self-government, Court of Peers, Court Council, secretary, participation, respect, education, upbringing, consequences, forgiveness, punishment. About the Author: Prof. JUDr. Dalibor Jílek, CSc. , is a professor of public international law at the Faculty of Law, Pan-European University in Bratislava, at the Faculty of Law, Palacký University in Olomouc, and a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. 1. Preface Pedagogy and legal theory belong to normative sciences in a certain sense. Both can examine identical objects. Such a selected object of intersectional interest is the Court of Peers ( Sąd koleżeński ) and the Code ( Kodeks ). The issue is normative not only because of the educational and upbringing ideal it pursues. The court’s experiences are a normative matter too. The Court of Peers is equal to no classic judicial instance. Its decisions are determined by a set of specific social norms. The court deals with plain or grave misconduct of children. The court and the Code are societal products of a unique experiment in the realm of the moral rights of the child. Korczak’s project imminently depends on the recognition of the child’s

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