A crucial juncture for evidence-based action to end violence against children

Amber Petermana, Joan Njagib, Horace Gninafonc, and Alessandra Guedese

This Lancet commentary highlights a major update to the evidence base for preventing violence against children, emphasizing findings from a new systematic review that strengthens and refines the INSPIRE Framework’s intervention strategies. It underscores that several approaches—such as parenting programs, whole-school violence prevention, healthy relationships education, and cash-plus life-skills initiatives—are proven effective, while others lack sufficient evidence and require reevaluation.

Assessment of the capacity and processes of Cambodia’s national and intercountry adoption system

UNICEF

This report presents an independent assessment of Cambodia’s national and intercountry adoption systems, with a focus on the country’s progress in aligning adoption practices with international standards for child protection and family-based alternative care. Commissioned by UNICEF Cambodia in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans, and Youth Rehabilitation, the assessment evaluates the current capacity, processes, and legal frameworks governing adoption, and provides recommendations to strengthen the system in the context of Cambodia’s ongoing care reform agenda.

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The Hidden Survivors: Care Leavers and the Unspoken Crisis of Sexual Abuse

Ruth Wacuka and Georgette Mulheir

This report examines the global sexual abuse and exploitation of care leavers, highlighting how systemic failures, both within institutions and during the transition to independence, leave young people vulnerable to harm, including cross-border trafficking and online exploitation. It calls for urgent action to strengthen safeguarding, ensure comprehensive aftercare, and create survivor-centered justice systems to protect care leavers’ rights, dignity, and long-term wellbeing.

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Children of Parents or Primary Caregivers Deprived of Liberty

UNICEF

This brief explores how the detention or imprisonment of a parent or primary caregiver affects children’s rights, well-being, and development, often exposing them to stigma, instability, and reduced access to essential services. It calls for child-sensitive justice processes, greater use of alternatives to detention, and coordinated support systems that prioritize the child’s best interests at every stage.

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Children in Civil Proceedings Technical Brief

UNICEF

This brief outlines how children engage with civil court processes—such as custody, guardianship, and adoption—and highlights the profound impact these proceedings have on their rights, development, and well-being. It identifies gaps in law and practice and calls for reforms to ensure children’s meaningful participation, child-friendly procedures, and consistent application of the best-interests principle.

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Inter-agency Guidance on Child Protection Case Management Data Categorisation

The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action

This article highlights efforts to standardize Child Protection Case Management (CPCM) data in humanitarian settings to improve program quality, planning, and advocacy. Led by UNICEF and UNHCR through the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, the initiative establishes common data categories for risks, vulnerabilities, and services, enabling consistent analysis and stronger, evidence-driven protection responses for children across crises.

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Shifting Power, Localizing, and Strengthening Ownership: Three Country Learnings and Challenges in Community-Led Child Protection

Wessells, M., & Kostelny, K.

This report synthesizes learning on community-led child protection in Sierra Leone, Kenya, and India. It shows the power of communities' own agency and action on behalf of children and underscores the importance of ownership.

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Indigenous knowledge and the challenges of informal foster care practice in South-East Nigeria: The need for a formalised process for child safety

Chinwe U. Nnama-Okechukwu

This study explores the informal foster care practices of the Igbo ethnic group in South-East Nigeria, revealing both its cultural value in providing family-based care and the challenges it faces. Findings highlight the lack of regulation, data, and support services, underscoring the need for greater involvement of government agencies and social workers to ensure children’s safety and well-being.

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