This article presents a meta-analysis of 41 studies examining the prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of emotional abuse and neglect among children in Arab countries, finding that nearly half of children are affected. It highlights key drivers such as parental divorce and low education, as well as serious outcomes like behavioral disorders and suicidal ideation, and calls for culturally tailored prevention and stronger child protection systems.

The article reports that the ongoing US-Israeli war in the Middle East is having a severe and long-lasting impact on children across the region, with hundreds killed and thousands injured and over a million displaced, particularly in Lebanon, Gaza

This article examines how Arab-Israeli children experience participation in decision-making committees within child protection services. It explores the cultural and systemic factors that both enable and hinder their meaningful participation, highlighting the need for more culturally sensitive and child-friendly approaches.

A new assessment by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) finds that months of hostilities, displacement and an estimated 72,000 civilian deaths in Gaza are reshaping family structures and leaving a growing number of children without parental care, leaving communities and children to rely on informal kinship care arrangements.

This article tells the story of Maha al-Rubaie, a 56-year-old woman in Gaza who has become the guardian of her infant great-nephew, Hamza, after his entire immediate family was killed in Israeli strikes. Maha had previously raised Hamza’s father, and now she faces the immense challenge of caring for a child born amid war, surviving with oxygen deprivation, seizures, and limited medical care.

This study explores the challenges faced by at-risk Arab young adults in Israel as they transition out of care, highlighting how minority status and cultural context shape their experiences. Findings reveal cycles of family risk, identity struggles, and feelings of loss and exclusion, underscoring the need for culturally responsive, gender-sensitive, and inclusive support programs for care leavers.

This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected child protection services in Saudi Arabia, finding increased risks and severity of violence against children alongside challenges such as limited reporting improvements, weak coordination, and insufficient staff training and digital tools. It highlights the need for stronger emergency preparedness, better collaboration across sectors, and improved resources to ensure effective child protection during future crises.

This article highlights how children are disproportionately impacted by the recent escalation of violence in Lebanon, reporting that in just a 24-hour period at least seven children were killed and dozens injured amid intensifying hostilities.

This study explores the daily functioning and lived experiences of Israeli female care leavers, highlighting how early life environments, transitions to adulthood, and individual routines shape their participation in everyday life. Findings emphasize the importance of functional skills, supportive routines, and resilience factors, pointing to the need for tailored interventions that address cognitive, behavioral, and health-related challenges.

This study examines how children with unknown parentage are cared for in modern society and the societal risks they face, using analysis of existing research. It finds that factors such as religious beliefs, economic conditions, and post-birth abandonment—along with stigma and discrimination—significantly shape these children’s experiences, and calls for stronger reforms and increased investment in child welfare programs.