We believe children deserve to have their rights fully recognised and respected, just as all humans do.
We want to ask hard questions about how we live, what needs to change and how we can contribute to a planet where all the intersections of our identities can thrive.
The British Army has quietly published the findings of its own inquiry into how its training establishments handle complaints of unacceptable behaviour. These findings cover the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate, where around 1,500 children aged 16 and 17 are in training at any one time. According to its report, AFC’s safeguarding policy was 'very poorly’ implemented, its oversight was ‘ineffective’ and the recommendations of two decades’ worth of previous inquiries had not been embedded.
France’s highest constitutional authority struck down a proposed social media ban for under-15s because it violated the rights to free expression and privacy. This confirms what children’s rights experts have consistently argued: sweeping bans on social media are a false solution. Policymakers working to protect children online should be paying close attention to this decision, shifting their focus from restricting children’s access to the better regulation of platforms.
The outcome report of the first Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF) Conference importantly recognised that human rights must underpin a just transition away from fossil fuels, a focus that was missing from the conference itself. Ahead of the second TAFF Conference, co-hosted by Tuvalu and Ireland, CRIN joins 30 human rights organisations, advocating for concrete measures to ensure human rights and children’s rights are not merely recognised, but implemented during the just transition.
In March, the European Union adopted its first-ever Intergenerational Fairness (IGF) Strategy, which aims to ensure ‘young people’ can better shape the policies that affect them. However, umbrella words like ‘intergenerational’ and ‘young people’ can inadvertently exclude children’s specific rights and needs. This adoption is also taking place during the EU's ongoing deregulation agenda, which undermines its Strategy’s goals. In this article, CRIN examines the IGF Strategy’s shortcomings: looking at the language we use about children, and what happens when institutional promises don’t align with their actions.
This week, the European Parliament had a long overdue opportunity to get an impact assessment started on the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus. In a joint letter, CRIN and five other child rights and youth organisations urged MEP Pieter Liese to support the request to study the effects of the Omnibus more rigorously, emphasising its potential impact on children. Our call was left unanswered.
The UK is rushing to ban social media for children. But CRIN and many other child protection and children’s rights experts have repeatedly warned that this is the wrong approach. Social media bans are a political band-aid; they blame children instead of existing harmful business models.
The first conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels concluded on 29 April. While the space was hopeful and optimistic, its success is highly dependent on what States decide to do now - and in the future. We discuss CRIN’s contributions to the conference, emphasising why children’s rights and human rights must be included in discussions on a just transition away from fossil fuels.
Despite overwhelming evidence of Israel’s illegal occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people, the EU has refused to terminate the EU-Israel Association Agreement, prioritising its economic interests over its human rights commitments. CRIN joins 185+ organisations calling for the immediate end of the agreement and the implementation of further political, economic and legal measures.
CRIN, together with 85+ civil society organisations and individuals, urge the Malaysian government to immediately withdraw plans to ban social media for children under 16. Protecting children online is crucial, but a blanket ban shifts responsibility away from platforms while undermining children's rights to privacy, freedom of expression and information, and participation.
CRIN's latest art exhibition uses research, art and poetry to examine how current chemicals legislations in the European Union impacts children's health. How can EU policymakers uphold children's rights?
Our new report uncovers the links between hazardous chemicals and children’s rights violations in the European Union (EU) and beyond.
In this series, we apply a children’s rights approach to the most significant debates affecting children in the digital environment.
CRIN’s latest report shows how all stages of the UK's counter-terrorism system threaten children’s rights in chilling ways. From pre-criminal, to pre-trial, to trial and sentencing, we need reforms and approaches that genuinely protect children.
CRIN’s new chronological report highlights every known account of abuse at the Army Foundation College between 2014 and 2024 - drawing on official data, national media reports, court judgments and the testimonies of former recruits and their parents.
One year after the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, including at least 327 children, while restrictions on aid and rebuilding materials stop families from recovering. CRIN joins 100+ organisations warning that the ceasefire exists in name only, and that killing and deprivation must not be normalised under its cover.