How early marriage is negatively impacting maternal health during teenage pregnancies worldwide

Posted on Posted in Child Marriage, Children's Rights, Exploitation, Health

In the world, as we know it, marriage stands for a symbiosis of support and understanding. However, the sad reality is that not everyone gets the same chance to make it right. Whilst it is true that forced child marriage practice has decreased over time, we still have a long way to go.  Unfortunate instances […]

The importance of children’s right to education in armed conflicts

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Education, Exploitation, refugees, violence

In armed conflicts, education is frequently not considered to be as important as other rights and it is often overlooked. Nevertheless, education in these situations is vital for every child since it provides them with much more than the right to learn. It is of major importance for their psychological and physical well-being. Likewise, education […]

Recruitment of minors in football: the regulation of young players

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Exploitation, Freedom

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, […]

Exploitation of children in sport : a widespread and unchecked problem

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Exploitation, violence

Sport is an essential part of a child’s physical and mental development and growth. Unfortunately, far too often, children are maltreated and abused in a sporting environment, and this continues to go unchecked (Human Rights Watch, 2020; OHCHR, n.d.). This is for many reasons, such as the inability to recognize abusive relationships, and child athletes […]

A shameful chapter of Irish history: mother and baby homes

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Exploitation, Human Rights, violence

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 […]

The plight of child migrants at the Poland-Belarus border

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Exploitation, Migration, Poverty, refugees, violence

In August 2021, Belarus orchestrated the transportation of thousands of migrants to the threshold of the European Union, triggering a migration crisis of unprecedented proportions. Hundreds of child migrants were stranded at the Polish border in appalling circumstances and facing extreme weather conditions. What caused the crisis? An unprecedented ‘attack against migration’  The Belarusian response […]

The horrors of Canada’s history: the unmarked indigenous graves

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Education, Exploitation, Health, Indigenous people, violence

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 […]

The impact of COVID-19 on child marriage in the Middle East and North Africa

Posted on Posted in Child Marriage, Children's Rights, Exploitation, Human Rights, refugees

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 […]

The Mediterranean route: A dream for a better life destroyed by human trafficking

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Exploitation, Freedom, Human Rights, Migration, refugees

Children represent 27% of global human trafficking victims. This issue particularly affects girls, who account for two-thirds of the victims of this serious crime, which has a drastic impact on the lives of thousands of children (Save the Children, 2021). Trafficking rings have easily spotted the opportunities for bringing in new victims that migration routes […]