The Cost of Migration: Child Labor in the U.S.

Child labor in the U.S. is not a new phenomenon. The recent exposés about migrant children working in dangerous places like slaughterhouses and on construction sites have renewed investigations into the exploitation of children in the U.S. workforce. Addressing this issue on the House floor, Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI-3) said, “Stories of kids dropping out of school, collapsing from exhaustion, and even losing limbs to machinery are what one expects to find in a Charles Dickens or Upton Sinclair novel, but not an account of everyday life in 2023, not in the United States of America.” What can we do to protect migrant children - and all children - from labor exploitation?

HRHPixie CarlisleMarch 10, 2023Child Labor, Children's Rights

Angelina Jolie's Hope for Yemen

HRHPhoenix RicksMarch 12, 2022Yemen, Human Rights, Children's Rights, War

Red Hand Day 2022

Today is the United Nations (UN) International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, which is more commonly known as Red Hand Day. If recruiting children to assist in conflicts is one of the six grave violations against children in international law, why does it continue to happen?

HRHPixie CarlisleFebruary 11, 2022Child Soldiers, Children's Rights

2021 Season of Giving: Solving the Diaper Dilemma

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that everyone had a wonderful celebration. Instead of sending the usual The Friday Brief this week, covering a policy issue or conflict, I am highlighting diaper banks that need support for Giving Tuesday and throughout this Season of Giving. A recent article by The 19th discussed the connection between diaper need and poverty. Diaper banks in low wealth areas require private support to serve millions of families each year.

HRHPixie CarlisleNovember 26, 2021Children's Rights, Helping Families Thrive

Helping Children in U.S. Foster Care

Last month, a Humans of New York series followed Charell Star, a young woman who was raised in foster care after her great-grandmother became ill and could no longer care for her. She cycled through cruel homes and eventually, thanks to early encouragement from her great-grandmother, landed in a boarding school that brought new opportunities along with more challenges. What can we do to support children in the U.S. foster care system?

HRHPixie CarlisleOctober 8, 2021Children's Rights, Child Welfare

Bringing Indigenous Children Home

Last month, U.S. Secretary Deb Haaland published an op-ed about the terrifying history of residential boarding schools for Native American children. She wrote, "We have a generation of lost or injured children who are now the lost or injured aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents of those who live today." Some of those lost children's remains were finally laid to rest this summer, after being discovered in the U.S. and Canada. What do we need to know about this history and how can we help?

HRH, 7053Pixie CarlisleJuly 23, 2021Indigenous Rights, Children's Rights, Genocide