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Dedicated to the protection and promotion of children’s rights
Coram International works around the world and in the UK with governments, UN bodies, IGOs and NGOs to protect and promote children’s and young people’s human rights
40 years of championing children’s rights
Coram Children’s Legal Centre is celebrating 40 years of championing children’s rights. Read about our history and the work we are doing today in our Championing Children’s Rights publication.
News
Training Launch: Training Package on Child-Friendly Legal Services
On 20 March 2024, Coram International marked the launch of a training package on providing child-friendly legal services in Europe and Central Asia. The training equips lawyers and other legal service practitioners with specialist knowledge, attitudes, and skills to provide child-friendly legal services, supporting children’s access to justice. The training, which was commissioned by UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) and written by Coram International’s Awaz Raoof, was developed in close consultation with UNICEF country offices, lawyers and civil society from across the region and rooted in research on children’s views of what makes legal services ‘child-friendly.’ This child rights-based training aims to implement UNICEF’s Guidelines on Child-Friendly Legal Aid and is highly participatory, including case studies, role plays and other activities to bring the principles of child-friendly justice to life. The training is intended to be adapted to national contexts and integrated into existing training programmes to sustain the training. Coram International is working with UNICEF ECARO to develop optional modules to add to this training and support efforts of bar associations and other stakeholders to roll the training out in their jurisdictions. For more information about this project, please contact international@coramclc.org.uk.
Validation Workshop: Mapping of the Child Protection System in Libya with a focus on the Social Service Workforce
Between 25 and 27 July 2023, Coram International shared its findings and recommendations from a ‘Mapping of the Child Protection System in Libya with a focus on the Social Service Workforce’ during a Validation Workshop held in Tunis. The workshop was held with the Ministry of Social Affairs and UNICEF Libya, inviting key child protection stakeholders including the Social Solidarity Fund, the Higher Committee for Childhood, the Ministry of Education and the Centre for Social Studies to discuss and validate the findings and recommendations.
The mapping was conducted as part of Coram International’s institutional contract with UNICEF Libya with the purpose of informing the development and implementation of child protection reforms in line with Libya’s international obligations to uphold children’s rights and efforts towards the professionalisation and development of a skilled social service workforce for child protection. The mapping examined and assessed elements of the child protection system in Libya in line with UNICEF’s approach to child protection system strengthening, looking at the legal and policy framework; governance and coordination structures; availability of a continuum of services; the social service workforce; minimum standards and oversight mechanisms; and data collection systems.
The purpose of the workshop was to validate the findings and recommendations of the report, providing an opportunity to strengthen links and coordination between key child protection stakeholders in Libya to ensure a harmonised and coordinated approach to developing the child protection system going forward.
July 2023
Panel Discussion: UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific
On 8 June 2023, Coram International’s Head of Law and Programmes, Awaz Raoof, participated in a panel discussion at the UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific, to discuss our research and policy brief on the role of the business sector in protecting children affected by migration in Southeast Asia. The research and policy briefs were commissioned by UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office.
The research explores the role of the business sector in contributing and responding to the protection risks that children affected by migration face in the region and fills a critical gap in the literature on this important issue. The research also comes at a pivotal time, coinciding with increasing calls in the international policy arena to impose mandatory obligations on businesses to respect human rights, including children’s rights, wherever they operate or have business relationships.
The research highlights the role of the business sector in driving child migration and influencing decisions by parents to migrate with or without their children, as well as the contribution of the business sector to child protection risks. The research goes beyond highlighting the risks of child labour and economic exploitation, which are often cited when it comes to business conduct, and calls attention to how business policies, operations, and business relationships cause or contribute to risks associated with child protection. This includes child trafficking, family separation and the potential negative consequences that this can have on the child’s development, increased exposure of the child to violence and abuse, and children being undocumented and cut off from essential protective services.
Our research highlights a series of steps that ASEAN states, businesses and civil society are taking to address these protection risks, as well as recommendations to build upon these efforts. The research report can be accessed here, and our policy brief on the role of the business sector can be accessed here.
June 2023
New Publications: Regional Situation Analysis on Children Affected by Migration in ASEAN Member States
On 16 May 2023, Coram International was honoured to be invited by the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) to launch our findings from a multi-year research project on the situation of children affected by migration in the ASEAN region.
Until recently, research has focused heavily on the experiences of adult migration in the region, with little known about the drivers affecting the movement of children and the protection risks that they face. This project, which was commissioned by UNICEF EAPRO and supported by the European Union, contributes towards filling this gap and provides evidence-based policy and programming recommendations to ensure that children affected by migration are protected from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
This research provides a comprehensive analysis of the drivers affecting the movement of children; the protection risks that children affected by migration face; and the steps that are being taken to integrate children affected by migration into national child protection systems in ASEAN Member States. The research also highlights strengths and gaps in national legal frameworks compared to international and regional standards for the protection of children affected by migration.
The situation analysis includes a ‘deep dive’ into five thematic areas of focus: (1) the protection needs of children remaining behind in Battambang, Cambodia and their access to protective services; (2) child labour and other protection risks of migrant children living on palm oil plantations in Sabah, Malaysia; (3) responses to the protection needs of internally displaced children and families in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the Philippines; (4) the impact of the lack of domestic legal status on the protection and wellbeing of migrant, urban refugee and unregistered stateless children in Bangkok, Thailand; and (5) drivers beyond poverty and the role of businesses in driving and protecting migrant children against exploitation in Viet Nam.
The research also integrates a unique ‘business lens’, analysing the role of the business sector in contributing to the protection risks that children affected by migration face and the steps that businesses are taking to address these. Coram International will be participating in additional events in the region over the next month to share and discuss these findings and provide recommendations on strengthening the response to the protection risks in which businesses may be involved.
The situational analysis report, country reports and policy briefs, and legal review are accessible here.
May 2023
New Publication: Review and Recommendations for Strengthening Transitioning-from-State-Care Services for Youth in the Protection System
Coram International is pleased to share Director Professor Dame Carolyn Hamilton’s new report on the aging out of residential care and detention in Belize.
Research studies from a range of countries indicate that, despite differences in policies, youth who age out of state care have significant similarities in outcomes globally. These young people have difficulty finding stable and affordable housing; accessing a social network, healthcare, and supportive and safe social relationships; and engaging in education, training, and employment.
The present report, focused on youth aging out of residential care and detention in Belize, aims to contribute to the growing literature on frameworks, models, programs, and best practices to address service gaps and barriers and improve outcomes for youth transitioning to post care. The report presents a diagnostic of available services to support youth in Belize to successfully transition to post-care and provides recommendations to strengthen services that improve their post-care outcomes.
July 2022
New Publication: Legislating for the Digital Age
Coram International is pleased to mark the publication of, ‘Legislating for the digital age: Global guide on improving legislative frameworks to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse’. The guide, commissioned by UNICEF and written by Coram International, provides practical guidance for governments, civil society, industry and country offices of international organisations to advocate for and develop legislation to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse.
The guide adds to existing national model frameworks and toolkits by placing the spotlight on the minimum and recommended standards to be incorporated by States into their legislation, as part of their efforts to prevent and respond effectively to child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The standards, which are presented in the guide through a series of checklists, are accompanied by commentary on the underpinning international and regional laws and guidelines, as well as practical examples of how States have incorporated these standards into their laws in practice. The examples cover a range of common law, civil law and mixed jurisdictions across the world, including Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, Ireland, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Philippines, UAE, UK, USA and Zimbabwe.
The guide covers standards relating to legislative processes as well as content, including the development of evidence-based legislation; stakeholder engagement and catalysts for legal reform; identification of appropriate methods of legislative reform (such as via criminal justice, cybercrime, child rights, child protection, online safety and/or other law); the criminalisation of online child sexual exploitation and abuse; the rights and responsibilities in relation to business; procedures and methods of investigation; victim support, rehabilitation, reintegration and redress; independent regulation and monitoring; and the implementation of legislation.
The guide offers child rights-based approaches to handling complex issues such as ‘sexting’ and so-called ‘self-generated sexual content’, the regulation of the tech industry and cross-border investigations.
The guide comes at a pivotal moment, as reports indicate an increase in the scale, severity and complexity of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. It also coincides with emerging efforts in high-income countries to regulate the tech industry, including the Online Safety Bill in the UK and recent proposals by the European Commission to require online platforms to detect, report and remove child sexual abuse content.
The global guide is based on research and consultations undertaken with governments, civil society, industry, regulators, international organisations as well as practitioners. The Global Guide was commissioned by UNICEF with the support of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and the German Agency for International Cooperation.
7 June 2022
New Publication: Situation Analysis of Children in the Pacific Island Countries
Coram International is pleased to share our report on the SitAn of Children in the Pacific Island Countries
This report summarises and synthesises findings from 14 in-depth situation analyses (SitAns) of children in the following Pacific Island Countries and Territories: the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The report provides evidence to support decision-making across sectors that are relevant to children and adolescents, and is intended, in particular, to contribute to the development of programmes and strategies to protect, respect and fulfill the rights of children and women in the whole Pacific region, covering health and nutrition, WASH, education, child protection, social protection, early childhood development, and adolescents and youth.
Authors: Carolyn Hamilton, Kirsten Anderson, Bruce Grant, Amelia Smith, Rosalie Lord, Farah Elhouni, and Ramyah Harrichandiran
December 2021.
What we do
Technical assistance
Coram International combines the excellent specialist expertise of our practitioner experts with robust research to deliver technical work of the highest standard. Our consultative and collaborative approach ensures that our technical work is evidence-based and context-tailored.
Research
Coram International specialises in the design and implementation of applied mixed methods research and evaluation, drawing on a range of quantitative, qualitative and participatory methods. We have a track record of producing high quality and accessible research publications for a broad range of policy, practitioner and academic audiences.
Themes
Coram International specialises in the rights of children and young people. Our expertise covers a high number of topics including child protection, justice and governance, gender equality, reproductive rights, counter-terrorism and extremism.
Featured publications
Study of Violence against Children in Bulgaria
Elizabeth Yarrow and Dr Sophie Hedges
From 2017-2020, Coram International was contracted by UNICEF Bulgaria to assess the current use of physical, sexual and emotional violence, neglect and peer bullying against children in Bulgaria in the home, schools, communities, and in the justice system. The study made findings in relation to the prevalence of such forms of violence and the perpetrators involved. It paid particular attention to the needs of groups of children who have demographic characteristics (‘risk factors’) that make them more likely to experience violence. Lastly the study examined the state/non-state prevention and response to such violence.
Formative and summative evaluation of “Government of Ghana / UNICEF Child Protection Programme (2012 – 2019)”
Professor Dame Carolyn Hamilton, Kara Apland, Jorun Arndt, Dr Sophie Hedges and Elizabeth Yarrow
In 2020, Coram International conducted a formative evaluation of the Government of Ghana and UNICEF’s Child Protection Programme (2012-2019). The evaluation, stretching across two programme cycles, had an expansive geographical scope covering programming across Ghana at national and sub-national levels. The evaluation generated evidence in relation to 4 of the 6 evaluation criteria of OECD/DAC; relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability and UNICEF’s guiding principles of gender, human rights and equity. The evaluation aimed to support learning and decision-making to improve child protection outcomes for girls and boys in Ghana, to hold UNICEF accountable for its contributions to child protection outcomes, to clarify the changes in child protection in Ghana that have been brought about by UNICEF’s programming, and to determine whether the current programme has the right strategic focus to contribute to strengthening the child protection system moving forward. The report has received a rating of “highly satisfactory” from UNICEF’s independent review mechanism GEROS.
Unlocking Children’s Rights
Coram International was co-funded by the EU’s Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Fund for a two-year project to develop training on child-friendly communication skills and child-rights informed practices for those working with children in justice, detention and residential care settings. These training materials are available for use, free of charge.
