With record-level abuses against children in war, many countries are working together to hold abusers to account. Still a long way to go for an effective crimes against humanity treaty, but growing support to include justice for crimes against children www.hrw.org/news/2026/06...

Today is #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour and 138 million children are still in child labor worldwide. What is one of the most important things governments can do? Ensure free education for every child. More: passblue.com/2026/06/10/f...

Free Education Is Crucial to Combating Child Labor - PassBlue

Free Education Is Crucial to Combating Child Labor - PassBlue

passblue.com

Free education is one of the most powerful tools to combat child labor. As we mark #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour, governments should back a new global education treaty that would guarantee free education for every child. My new piece in @passblue.bsky.social: passblue.com/2026/06/10/f...

Free Education Is Crucial to Combating Child Labor - PassBlue

Free Education Is Crucial to Combating Child Labor - PassBlue

passblue.com

1 in 3 Liberian children never attend school, and only 17% complete grade 9. A big reason why: registration fees. Our new @hrw.org report shows how fees cause children to start school years late, drop out, and resort to child labor. More here: www.hrw.org/news/2026/05...

Liberia: School Fees Block Children’s Access to Education

Registration fees and other costs to attend public schools in Liberia are a major barrier to education, forcing many children to delay enrollment, miss school, or drop out altogether.

hrw.org

Great news! Oklahoma just became the 17th US state to ban all child marriage. Previously, the minimum age for marriage was ZERO. Congrats to Unchained at Last and other advocates for this victory! More here: www.unchainedatlast.org/oklahoma-jus...

Oklahoma just banned child marriage! - Unchained At Last

Oklahoma just became the 17th state where we have helped to ban child marriage! Gov. Kevin Stitt declined to sign or veto the bill the legislature sent him to make the marriage age 18, no exceptions —...

unchainedatlast.org

Toxic lead from a Zambian mine has poisoned generations of children. This week @hrw.org & IHRDA will spotlight the case & call for justice: PANEL: Spotlight on Kabwe 🗓 16 April 09h00 – 10h40 📍 ACERWC CSO Forum, Lesotho With experts, activists & Kabwe residents Join online tinyurl.com/458yy5kd

The number of out-of-school children has risen for 7 years in a row, reaching 273 million. A proposed free education treaty could push countries to act. www.hrw.org/news/2026/04...

273 Million Children Out of School

A new United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report delivers a sobering message: the number of children out of school has risen for the seventh consecutive year, re...

hrw.org

For more than 3 years, @hrw.org has been calling on the government of Trinidad and Tobago to bring home its nationals -- mostly women and children -- detained in NE Syria. We renew our call as Trinidadians and other detainees face escalating abuse and attacks. www.hrw.org/news/2026/02...

Trinidadian Nationals Face Escalating Abuse in Syrian Camp

Since 2019, more than 90 Trinidad and Tobago nationals, including at least 50 children, have been arbitrarily detained in northeast Syria for alleged links to the Islamic State (ISIS).

hrw.org

Recruitment of children by Haitian criminal groups tripled last year. With a near total absence of the state, criminal groups use threats and material incentives to force children into criminal activity, sexual abuse, and sexual slavery www.hrw.org/news/2026/02...

Haiti Criminal Groups Trafficking Children Amid State Collapse

A new United Nations report details how criminal groups in Haiti are exploiting the near-total absence of the state, as well as widespread hunger and violence, to recruit children who then face abuse.

hrw.org

10 years after a landmark US Supreme Court case limiting extreme sentences for children, a new report from ‪@thecfsy.bsky.social‬ assesses progress and gaps. The plaintiff, Henry Montgomery, says, "Men who have done 20, 30, 40 years, it's time for them to come home." cfsy.org/media-resour...

At the end of a rough year, @hrw takes stock of good news for kids from 2025. Countries banned child marriage, prohibited corporal punishment, and expanded free education and protections in armed conflict, showing progress is possible. www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...

Good News for Children in 2025

Each year, Human Rights Watch reflects on progress in children’s rights worldwide. From better access to education to stronger protections in wartime, these are some highlights from 2025.

hrw.org

Good riddance to rubbish policy. The end to the UK's "two child limit" social security policy has been announced, and it will soon be gone. We @hrw.org welcome the news, as one of many, many, many voices calling for an end to this arbitrary, cruel social security policy.

The International Children's Peace Prize for 2025 was just awarded to 15-year-old Bana Alabed, recognizing her remarkable work to highlight the impact of conflict on the children of Syria. www.kidsrights.org/news/syrian-...

Syrian teen, Bana Alabed (15), wins International Children's Peace Prize 2025 for her relentless advocacy for war-affected children and transformative initiatives - KidsRights Foundation

Bana Alabed, a 15-year-old Syrian changemaker and survivor of the 2016 Aleppo siege, has been awarded the 2025 International Children’s Peace Prize, the world’s most important youth award. During a la...

kidsrights.org

NEW: US state laws requiring healthcare providers to notify a parent about a young person’s abortion decision are causing harm. In a new report, HRW and If/When/How document how state-mandated parental notification laws in six US states threaten young people’s health and safety. Learn more ⤵️

This compelling article highlights Malawi's new free secondary education policy and why it might be "the single most transformative policy the country could ever take for its future." www.nyasatimes.com/opinion-free...

OPINION | Free Secondary Education Is Malawi’s Most Radical Leap Toward Equality - Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi

Malawi breaking news publishing 24 hours a day news about Malawi, Malawi Business, Malawi Tourism, Malawi Politics, Malawi News

nyasatimes.com

🚩Yesterday Saudi authorities executed Abdullah al-Derazi for alleged crimes committed as a child. Saudi authorities reached two horrific milestones: the 300th execution of 2025 & the 2nd execution of a person accused of committing crimes as a child. @hrw.org www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...

Saudi Arabia: Spate of Executions of Child Offenders

Saudi authorities on October 20, 2025, executed a man convicted of alleged crimes committed as a child.

hrw.org

Sri Lanka was once a global leader in education. New @hrw report documents how its ruinous tax policies starved schools of funding and squandered this lead. www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...

Sri Lanka: Ruinous Tax Policies Stoke Inequality

Sri Lanka’s tax policies played a driving role in the country’s devastating 2022 economic crisis and have contributed to the chronic underfunding of education and other public services.

hrw.org

On Monday, governments will debate a possible new UN treaty to make education free from preprimary through secondary. More than 8,000 children from 40 countries have weighed in. My colleague @bedeonkidrights.bsky.social shares their views: www.hrw.org/news/2025/08...

Children around the World Speak out for Free Education

Children from across the globe have expressed support for expanding an international human rights treaty to require countries to provide free pre-primary and secondary education.

hrw.org

Last week the UN reported the highest number ever of grave violations against children in armed conflict. Today, the UN Security Council will discuss how to respond. Tune in live at 10 a.m. ET: webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1s...

Effective strategies to end and prevent grave violations against children - Security Council, 9945th meeting

"Effective strategies to end and prevent grave violations against children" under the agenda item "Children and armed conflict"

webtv.un.org

Since Myanmar's 2021 military coup, the UN has verified > 1,800 cases of child recruitment, including children as young as 12. The junta is the sole state actor listed on the UN SG's "list of shame" for grave violations against children. More from @hrw.org: www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...

Myanmar: Stop Recruitment, Use of Child Soldiers

The Myanmar military’s recruitment and use of child soldiers has surged since the 2021 coup, including a significant number recruited after the junta enacted a conscription law in February 2024. The U...

hrw.org

Despite being added to the UN's “list of shame” for violations against children in armed conflict, Israel's and Russia’s abuses have only increased; neither has engaged with the UN to negotiate an action plan to end their violations. My new dispatch: www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...

Violations Soar Against Children in Armed Conflict

Last year was the most devastating year for children in armed conflict in two decades, according to the new annual report from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

hrw.org

In armed conflict, violations against children have soared. The UN SG reports more than 41,000 violations -- 25% above last year. My new dispatch on the SG's devastating new report: www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...

Violations Soar Against Children in Armed Conflict

Last year was the most devastating year for children in armed conflict in two decades, according to the new annual report from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

hrw.org

Today is the African Union's Day of the African Child. While African governments and leaders have made bold commitments to education, in practice, their investments have fallen short. New analysis from @hrw.org: www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...

Africa: Insufficient Domestic Funding Hinders Education Progress

Most African governments have consistently failed to meet global and regional education funding targets to ensure quality public education.

hrw.org

New global report from ILO and @unicefmedia.bsky.social finds 20 million fewer children involved in child labor compared to 2020, but 138 million is still far too many. www.ilo.org/resource/new...

Despite progress, child labour still affects 138 million children globally

New report shows an almost 50 per cent reduction since start of century, but world fails to reach elimination targets.

ilo.org

Today is the second-ever #InternationalDayofPlay! Learning through play is more than just fun—it builds critical thinking, language, and social skills. Every child should have a guaranteed human right to free preschool, to learn and thrive through play. #ChildRights

Great news! Oregon has become the 15th US state to ban all child marriage. Before 2018, all 50 US states allowed children under the age of 18 to marry. Congratulations to Unchained at Last for its relentless advocacy. www.unchainedatlast.org/another-vict...

Another victory: Oregon banned child marriage! - Unchained At Last

Once again we are doing a wild victory dance: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek just signed the bill we helped to write, introduce and promote to ban all marriage before age 18, no exceptions. !!! Yes, this is o...

unchainedatlast.org

New @hrw.org research on 200 asylum seekers, including 81 children, expelled from the US to Costa Rica in February. "It’s reprehensible to dump families in a country they never chose, with no process and no regard for their safety," says @michaelbochenek.bsky.social www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...

US: Asylum Seekers Expelled to Costa Rica Detail Abuses

The United States should offer to bring back and hear the asylum claims of approximately 200 third-party nationals, including children, who were wrongfully expelled to Costa Rica in February.

hrw.org

A devastating decision from a Florida court would eliminate access to abortion for young people unable to get written, notarized parental consent. www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...

US: Florida Set to Trample Young People’s Rights

A devastating decision from Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals would eliminate access to abortion care for young people unable to get written, notarized parental consent, Human Rights Watch and...

hrw.org

Over 50 children from Trinidad and Tobago have been stranded for years in NE Syria. @hrw.org calls on T&T's newly elected prime minister to bring them and other T&T nationals home. www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...

Trinidad and Tobago Nationals Remain Stranded in Northeast Syria

Trinidad and Tobago’s newly elected prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, should act quickly to repatriate more than 90 of the country’s nationals, including at least 50 children, who remain unlawfu...

hrw.org

12 US Senators condemn cancellation of $500 million in grants to address child labor and trafficking worldwide. "The only winners here will be the multinational corporations who want cheap labor, and our adversaries that benefit from these practices." www.duckworth.senate.gov/imo/media/do...