Exploitation of children in sport : a widespread and unchecked problem

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Explotation, 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 […]

Children in armed conflict – the Ukraine crisis

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Freedom, Human Rights, Peace, refugees, violence

In light of the recent events in Ukraine, it is important to emphasise maintaining peace and protection for all children in Ukraine. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine poses an immediate and growing threat to the lives and well-being of the country’s 7.5 million children (UNICEF, 2022). Children have been killed, wounded, uprooted and severely distressed […]

A shameful chapter of Irish history: mother and baby homes

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Explotation, 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, Explotation, 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, Explotation, 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, Explotation, 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 […]

The Canadian colonial state and the disappearance of Indigenous children – the continuing repercussions

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Human Rights, Indigenous people, violence

The recent discovery of unmarked graves containing the remains of Indigenous children has shaken Canada over the past few months, highlighting the veil that has been thrown over both the atrocities of the past and the current vulnerable situation – stemming primarily from the colonial context – in which Indigenous children and adults find themselves. […]

Afghan children’s rights under serious threat under the Taliban regime

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Explotation, Freedom, Human Rights, Poverty, refugees, violence

With the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban launched an offensive on multiple fronts to reconquer territory across the country. The Afghan army was overrun, continually losing ground, until on 15 August 2021, the Taliban conquered Kabul without significant effort. The president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, formerly given military support from the United […]

A call for India to join the Safe Schools Declaration

Posted on Posted in Children's Rights, Education, Poverty, violence

Schools are the pillars upon which the flame of education shines bright. It is in acknowledging the pivotal necessity of safeguarding educational bodies that the Safe Schools Declaration was drafted. In this context, recently, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on India to endorse it. The ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of the Safe Schools Declaration  […]

COVID-19 and conflict-related sexual violence against children

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

In occasion of the 7th official observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba addressed the issue of conflict-related sexual violence against children within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the worrisome situation of children born of […]