In 2025, New Zealand recorded the highest child suicide rate of any wealthy country. Families across Aotearoa continue to lose young people despite years of public debate and attempts at reform. The problem is part of a wider mental health crisis: recent international surveys show New Zealand children and teenagers report some of the lowest […]
In August 2021, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan after a lightning military campaign in which they seized major cities in less than 10 days. Since then, a series of restrictive measures has been imposed, targeting girls and young women. In September 2021, they were banned from attending secondary school, followed in 2022 by exclusion […]
Female genital mutilation (FGM) remains one of the most pressing child protection concerns in The Gambia. Often carried out during infancy or early childhood, the practice inflicts irreversible harm on young girls, threatening their health, survival, and dignity due to entrenched cultural norms. Although The Gambia has made notable progress in advocacy and legal reform, […]
Already in 2018, around four in ten Romanian adolescents said they had been cyberbullied. At that time, Romania recorded the highest victimization rate among seven European countries, well above Greece and Spain. More recent national surveys confirm that online harassment remains widespread, with victims reporting anxiety, withdrawal from school, and difficulties in maintaining friendships. Despite […]
Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) remains a serious concern in the Netherlands, with implications that extend well beyond its borders. The country’s advanced digital infrastructure and central role in global internet traffic have made it both a leader in combating online crime and a target for criminal networks. Consequently, the Netherlands has earned international recognition […]
Across Belgian cities, and especially around the Port of Antwerp, children as young as thirteen can be found carrying drugs, standing guard for gangs, or risking their lives in ports at night. Most of them should be in school, yet their days and nights are consumed by criminal work. Many are beaten for mistakes by […]
Between 1950 and 2020, at least 216,000 children in France were sexually abused by priests and members of religious orders. These crimes show how abuse was enabled by silence, cover-ups, and a culture that protected the institution rather than children. In response, France has begun reforms and created independent bodies such as the CRR and […]
Since 1948, Jordan has hosted successive waves of refugees, most recently Syrians and Palestinians fleeing ongoing conflicts. Early aid provided urgent shelter and support, but the long-term presence of large refugee populations has strained resources and deepened inequalities. Refugee children face poverty, malnutrition, barriers to education and healthcare, and legal restrictions that hinder their protection. […]
Criminal gangs in Sweden are deliberately recruiting children, sometimes as young as 10, to carry out violent acts, transport drugs, and handle weapons. They target vulnerable children where child protection systems fail to provide timely or effective safeguards, drawing them into drug trafficking, armed violence, and other crimes. Despite legal reforms, such as Sweden’s 2023 […]
At the start of the 2025 academic year, 285 million children are at risk of not returning to the classroom, a crisis felt most acutely across the African continent. Most African governments have consistently failed to meet global and regional education funding targets needed to ensure quality public education. Yet two promising examples, a global […]
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