Crossing Borders Alone: The Treatment of Unaccompanied Children in the United States

Children who travel unaccompanied to the United States experience not only the trauma of family separation and the frequently predatory behavior of the traffickers who bring them, but also harsh treatment by an immigration bureaucracy that often incarcerates them with little access to legal counsel or professional support

Dilemmas in Rescue and Reintegration: A critical assessment of India’s policies for children trafficked for labour exploitation

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the Indian government’s efforts to combat pervasive child trafficking for labour exploitation through rescue and reintegration of affected children. It evaluates the extensive policy and legal frameworks against on-the-ground realities in the states of Bihar and Rajasthan, using empirical findings from a qualitative study carried out by the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights at Harvard University. The results demonstrate that current practices fail to adhere to human rights norms or protect rescued children from risk of future exploitation. They underscore important challenges in the rescue and reintegration of trafficked children, and call into question the singular focus on this category of post-harm response over preventative interventions. The findings point to a critical need for future research, sustained multi-stakeholder discussion and concrete reforms

Moving Children: Lacunae in Contemporary Human Rights Protections for Migrant Children and Adolescents

This article addresses a contemporary demographic phenomenon, the growing presence of young migrant children and adolescents, and outlines the perils that this population faces. What some experts refer to as an “asylum-migration nexus,” or a blurring of legal categories within contemporary migration, this varied and multifaceted flow includes asylum seekers, exploited unaccompanied children, job seekers, education or opportunity seekers, and adolescents seeking family reunion with previously migrated parents – all of them, in one way or another, young people on the move for a better life. This article posits that all young migrants need protection and assistance of one sort or another: Safe accommodation, and protection from exploitation, from the risks of criminalization, from deprivation of food and medical care at a minimum. Though progress is visible, much more remains to be achieved. The scandal of basic rights denial to tens of thousands of children and young people who deserve much better treatment from the world’s richest States implicates all of us.Cet article aborde un phénomène démographique contemporain, celui de la présence croissante de jeunes enfants et adolescents en situation de migration indépendante, et souligne les dangers auxquels cette population est confrontée. Ce que certains experts appellent un « lien entre asile et migration » ou un mélange des catégories juridiques au sein des migrations contemporaines, constitue un flux varié et multiforme qui inclut des demandeurs d’asile, des mineurs non accompagnés exploités, des demandeurs d’emploi ou d’éducation, ou encore des adolescents à la recherche d’un regroupement familial auprès de parents ayant préalablement migré. Chacun d’entre eux, d’une manière ou d’une autre, est un jeune en mouvement en quête d’une vie meilleure. Cet article part du postulat que tous les jeunes migrants ont besoin de protection et d’assistance : un hébergement sûr, de la nourriture et des soins, ainsi qu’une protection contre l’exploitation et contre les risques de criminalisation. Bien que les progrès à cet égard soient visibles, il reste encore beaucoup à faire. Le scandale du déni des droits fondamentaux de dizaines de milliers d’enfants et de jeunes qui mériteraient un traitement plus humain de la part des pays les plus riches de la planète nous concerne tous.Este artículo se interesa por un fenómeno demográfico contemporáneo, la creciente presencia de menores y adolescentes migrantes y describe los peligros a los que esta población hace frente. Lo que algunos expertos denominan como el «nexo entre asilo y migración», o una fusión de diferentes categorías legales dentro de las migraciones contemporáneas, constituye un flujo variado y multifacético que incluye a solicitantes de asilo, menores no acompañados explotados, solicitantes de empleo, demandantes de formación u oportunidades, adolescentes que buscan una reunificación familiar con sus padres que habían migrado previamente, etc. Todos ellos son jóvenes en movimiento en busca de una vida mejor. Este artículo plantea que todos los menores migrantes necesitan protección y asistencia de una u otra forma: alojamiento seguro, protección contra la explotación, protección contra el riesgo de delincuencia, asistencia sanitaria, avituallamiento, etc. Aunque el progreso sea visible, queda mucho margen de mejora. El escándalo de la denegación de derechos básicos que afecta a decenas de miles de menores y jóvenes que merecen un tratamiento más humano por parte de los países más ricos del mundo es responsabilidad de todos nosotros

Girl child marriage, socioeconomic status, and undernutrition : evidence from 35 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

Girl child marriage, a formal union of a female before age 18, and undernutrition remain common in Sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study is to establish the extent to which girl child marriage contributes to socioeconomic status and underweight, a measure of undernutrition, among adult women.; We used data from 103 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), representing 35 African countries from 1991 to 2014. Girl child marriage was coded both as a binary variable (before 18 years) and categorical variable (before 14, 14 to 15 years, 16 to 17 years). The primary outcome was underweight (body mass index less than 18·5). Secondary outcomes were early and multiple childbearing, secondary education completion, and wealth index. Logistic regression models were used to estimate associations.; Fifty-five percent of women married before age 18. Girl child marriage was associated with reduced risk of being underweight both in models adjusted for basic confounders (risk difference = - 0.020, 95% CI [- 0.026, - 0.014], p < 0.01) and in models adjusted for childbearing, women's relative status, and socioeconomic outcomes (risk difference = - 0.018, 95% CI [- 0.024, - 0.011], p < 0.01). Conditional on completing primary education and community fixed-effects, women married before 18 years had an increased risk of early motherhood (risk difference = 0.38, 95% CI [0.38, 0.38], p < 0.01) and of being in the poorest quintile (risk difference = 0.024, 95% CI [0.012, 0.036], p < 0.01), and were 27 percentage points less likely to complete secondary education (risk difference = - 0.27, 95% CI [- 0.28, - 0.26)], p < 001), compared to women married as adults.; Though associated with substantially reduced socioeconomic status, girl child marriage appears to be associated with slightly reduced risk of being underweight in the population studied. Further research is needed to understand the determinants of undernutrition in this context as well as the broader relationship between socioeconomic status and nutritional outcomes

Establishing good practice for human rights-based approaches to mental health care and psychosocial support in Kenya

A human rights-based approach (HRBA) to health has long been seen as an important way in which to address public health needs in a manner that is equitable and conducive to social justice. Yet the actual content of an HRBA to health remains unspecific, and therefore implementation remains heterogeneous. This situation is even more challenging in the field of mental health, where human rights considerations are particularly complex and have emerged out of a history of myriad violations. Even when research has been conducted into mental health, it has focused predominantly on the Global North, raising questions of contextual and cultural relevance. Accordingly, this study examined the issue from the perspectives of stakeholders in Kenya who consider their work or the services they use to be rights based. It explored the key principles and interventions deemed to constitute an HRBA to mental health care and psychosocial support, the perceived benefits of such approaches, and the main barriers and supports relevant for implementation. The results produced seven key principles and corresponding interventions. Among other things, it highlighted the importance of economic well-being and self-efficacy, as well as the reduction of barriers to implementation, such as stigma and lack of adequate resourcing. Two key tensions were apparent—namely, the un/acceptability of coercion and the role of traditional and faithbased modalities in an HRBA to mental health care and psychosocial support.https://www.hhrjournal.orgpm2021Centre for Human Right

Sex Work and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Asia: A Biosocial Analysis

The Harvard University Asia Center hosted a symposium in October 2010 focused on sex work and sexually transmitted infections in Asia, engaging a biosocial approach to promote sexual health in this region. Asia has an estimated 151 million cases of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs; eg, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia) each year, with commercial sex interactions playing a large role in ongoing transmission. Substantial human movement and migration, gender inequalities, and incipient medical and legal systems in many states stymie effective STI control in Asia. The articles in this supplement provide theoretical and empirical pathways to improving the sexual health of those who sell and purchase commercial sex in Asia. The unintended health consequences of various forms of regulating commercial sex are also reviewed, emphasizing the need to carefully consider the medical and public health consequences of new and existing policies and laws