Diversity of bodies – intersex children’s rights to self-determine their own bodies

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Empowerment, Health, Human Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights

“Medicine and society need to see intersex individuals as natural. I occur in nature and I demand to make my own decisions, the same as any other person. And I demand it for any individual who is born intersex.” – Karen A. Walsh (Davis, 2016) The term “intersex” is an umbrella term that describes bodily […]

Children’s lack of access to pediatric intensive care in rural areas threatens their right to life

Posted on Posted in Health, Poverty

Pediatric intensive care is fundamental in reducing morbidity and mortality globally. In rural areas, the majority of hospitals is lacking designated intensive care units, healthcare staff trained to care for critically ill children, and rapid access to necessary medications, supplies and equipment. Consequently, children in rural areas and other resource-limited settings face increasing barriers to […]

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on child mortality and its collateral damage

Posted on Posted in Health, Poverty, violence

While worldwide child mortality rates – defined as “the annual number of child deaths divided by the total number of births in a given region” (Humanium, n.d.) – are decreasing slowly, the Covid-19 pandemic has cast doubt on the permanence of this trend. The pandemic has also had indirect effects on the lives of many […]

The influence of period poverty on the rights of girls and women around the world

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Education, Empowerment, Health

Despite living in a world where there is a constant desire and drive to identify and understand everything, something as basic and inherent as menstruation is still a topic shrouded with misinformation, taboo, and shame. While menstruation is a way of life for millions of girls and women around the world, there are still an […]

Ecocide and its influence on children’s rights

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Environment, Health

“The climate crisis is a child rights crisis.” – UNICEF, 2021 According to the Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), nearly half of the world’s children ‘are at “extremely high risk” of the impacts of climate change.… And it is happening today.’ (UNICEF, 2021, p. 4). ‘Ecocide’ as a concept, and the demands for it to […]

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 […]

Children’s rights: challenges and achievements in 2021

Posted on Posted in Association's life, Child Marriage, Children's Rights, Education, Empowerment, Environment, Exploitation, Health, Human Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights, Life at Humanium, refugees, violence

The year we are slowly leaving behind has been another challenging year for children’s rights worldwide. Children around the world have been faced with many barriers hindering their opportunities to a fulfilled life, such as migration, exploitation, poverty, violence, discrimination, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic which struck a year before has continued to take its toll […]

Sexual exploitation and abuse of girls and women by WHO employees

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

During a World Health Organization (WHO) mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to fight Ebola between 2018 and 2020, 83 girls and women were victims of sexual exploitation and abuse. Out of the alleged perpetrators, 21 are WHO employees. The tenth Ebola outbreak in the DRC and WHO’s mission In August 2018, […]

Age-assessment of migrant children

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Freedom, Health, Migration, refugees

In the past decade, migration and external displacement have become realities an increasing number of children face. Additionally, migrant children are one of the most vulnerable population groups and the inability to provide documentation confirming their age and status exacerbates this vulnerability.  Age disputes caused by increased suspicion and scepticism surrounding the arrival of migrant […]

Digital health – the future of healthcare for children

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Health

As the world steamrolls further into the digital age, industries and institutions are being forced to adapt to the effects and impacts of technology. The healthcare sector is no exception. Over the last decade, technological advancements have revolutionised both the provision of healthcare, and the ways in which patients access medical information and communicate with […]