This UNICEF article examines how violent discipline, both physical and psychological, remains widespread across Europe and Central Asia, often occurring in homes or care settings behind closed doors despite legal bans and policy commitments in man

The article highlights a deeply troubling crisis facing street-connected children in Pakistan, who remain largely invisible to authorities and are subject to widespread sexual exploitation and abuse, exacerbated by poverty, lack of safe shelter, l

In this article, Hasht-e Subh reports that the Taliban has abruptly closed private orphanages across Afghanistan, seized their assets, and transferred thousands of vulnerable children into state-run facilities under Taliban control—raising deep co

In Myanmar, concerns have been raised that clientelism may be facilitating the recruitment of children into unregistered facilities, putting children at risk. This study uses clientelism theory and examines relationships between stakeholders involved in forty-five residential care facilities in Myanmar. It finds clientelism as a distinct driver of child institutionalization in Myanmar and as a mechanism that facilitates the recruitment and admission of children into unregulated residential care facilities, undermining their rights and safety.

This scoping review examines evidence from Asia and culturally comparable contexts to understand the experiences and support needs of young people transitioning from out-of-home care, with a particular focus on Indonesia. The findings highlight widespread gaps in formal leaving-care and aftercare support, alongside promising practices, the importance of informal networks and independent living skills, and the influence of stigma, gender, and resilience on care leavers’ transitions to adulthood.

This article examines how the Collective Impact methodology has supported childcare system reform in Moldova, using the Family Care First initiative in Cambodia as a comparative example to identify key lessons on governance, coordination, and local leadership. It highlights how strategic collaboration, policy advocacy, and evidence-based approaches contributed to Moldova’s commitment to ending child institutionalization by 2027, while identifying ongoing challenges in shifting stakeholder mindsets.

This qualitative case study examines the challenges and opportunities of alternative childcare services in Bangladesh, finding a growing demand for care options but significant gaps in quality and coordination. Key issues include inadequate emotional and psychosocial support, shortages of trained caregivers, weak monitoring systems, and social stigma, highlighting the need for stronger investment, capacity building, and a more child-centred approach.

This study finds that grandparenting as primary care in China is generally associated with lower overall and social-emotional development among preschool children. However, it can have a protective effect for children living with a single parent—particularly in low-income families—highlighting the need for targeted support and training for grandparent caregivers.

This article examines the legal status and consequences of concealing the ancestry of adopted children under Indonesian criminal law and Islamic law. It analyzes how such practices are addressed in statutory law and Islamic legal principles, highlighting the importance of lineage clarity, transparency, and the protection of children’s rights in adoption.

This study addresses the urgent need for family-based care for children without parental care, as emphasised by the UN General Assembly’s 2019 resolution, India’s Juvenile Justice Act 2015, and Mission Vatsalya. The primary aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Thrive Scale™ tool developed by Miracle Foundation India in generating measurable, data-driven decisions to plan and implement suitable interventions for family strengthening.