China has seen a marked increase in the trafficking of young women and girls for the purposes of marriage and sexual slavery. This trend is primarily a consequence of the longstanding one-child policy and the country’s preference for boys, which has catalysed a significant gender imbalance (Barr, 2019). As a result, young men are turning […]
Following rapid growth, e-cigarettes have become the most used tobacco product among youth populations in the United States of America (USA) (Cullen, 2019). Their modern packaging – often shaped like USB flash drives – and multiplicity of artificial flavours appeal to younger demographics (Cullen, 2019). Beyond the glitz and glamour, e-cigarettes have been thrust to […]
At the landmark 2020 International Labour Organisation (ILO) Dialogue Forum on Decent Work in the World of Sport, member states emphasised the need for “special protection” for young athletes, given the intensity of their working environments. With limited consent, young athletes are frequently required to push themselves through extreme physical training, risking serious or chronic […]
The global sport industry was valued at nearly one billion US dollars in 2020, a figure that is projected to rise to five billion by 2026 (Clifford Chance, 2021). Companies at the heart of the industry are working to monetise every aspect of sport and this includes its most prized asset: talented young athletes. In […]
The rapid commercialization of football (or soccer) and its growth into a lucrative financial market are driving high-level actors in the sport towards the exploitation of children for profit. The incentives are clear; the European football market alone is worth a staggering £25 billion, and its main assets are young athletes in vulnerable positions (Deloitte, […]
A recent flagship report from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), a department of the Government of Ireland, has revealed that many religious institutions in Ireland have been enabling widespread abuse of unwed mothers and their children – often leading to death (Specia, 2021). Over the past twenty years, the country’s […]
In May 2021, Canada was rocked by the discovery of an unmarked gravesite designated for over 200 indigenous children (Cecco, Michael & Voce, 2021). The burial ground, located on the premises of a former school in British Columbia, is testimony to the country’s historic segregation of indigenous children from mainstream society and the flagrant abuse […]
COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities and amplified human rights challenges across the globe. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, young children from at-risk populations – girls in particular – have been forced to face an array of new hardships including an increased risk of child marriage. A recent public statement from UNICEF […]
On the 16th and 17th of September, during the 88th session of the United Nations, the Committee on the Rights of the Child hosted a Day of General Discussion on Children’s Rights and Alternative Care. Broadly, all children have the right to live in a protective, supporting and caring home which enables healthy development (Council […]
For over a decade, Syria has been marred by civil war. This conflict – overwhelmingly tied to territorial battles between supporters of President Al-Assad, opposing rebels and Islamic State (ISIS) actors – has had debilitating effects on the lives of vulnerable children who are the offspring of foreign ISIS fighters. Specifically, in 2019, the U.S.-backed […]
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