Abstract Books of the Global Conference on Children and Youth
The Abstract Books of the Global Conference on Children and Youth (GCCY) presents carefully peer-reviewed research presented at the annual Children and Youth conference organized by Proud Pen. This collection captures original work across the field of Children and Youth, spanning theoretical frameworks to applied studies. Each volume serves as a reference for ongoing research and study in the discipline.
Understanding Social Climate and BehaviouralOutcomes in Young Offender Institutions: A Mixed-Methods Study of Young People and Staff Perspectives
Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) house some of the most vulnerable children in society, many of whom present with complex trauma, developmental needs, and disrupted attachments. Despite this, the social and relational environments within YOIs remain underexplored. This doctoral research aims to investigate the social climate of a YOI in the United Kingdom through a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative perspectives from both young people and prison officers. Quantitative data will be collected using the validated Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES) to assess perceptions of safety, support, and cohesion. Qualitative interviews will explore lived experiences of relationships, emotional safety, and institutional culture. Additionally, anonymised adjudication data will be analysed to determine whether negative perceptions of social climate are associated with higher levels of disciplinary incidents. By combining self-reported and operational data, this study seeks to identify relational and environmental factors that influence wellbeing, behaviour, and rehabilitation. The findings will contribute to policy and practice aimed at creating safer, more developmentally appropriate, and trauma-informed custodial settings for young people, aligning with current HM Prison and Probation Service priorities for improving decency, safety, and relational trust within the youth secure estate.
Copyright (c) 2025 Abstract Books of the Global Conference on Children and Youth
How Children in Urban Poverty Experience Alienation at School: A Theoretical Exploration of Exclusion Practices Using Bourdieu’s Habitus
Bourdieu’s concept of “cultural capital” revealed how educational practices selectively rewarded those possessing language, values and beliefs central to the bourgeoisie. This leads to alienation of children living in urban poverty who lack cultural capital. Existing scholarship that focuses heavily on cultural capital alone demonstrates which belief systems and values are preferred in the education system. There is silence on the nature and depth of alienation itself. As a result, its debilitating impact on the lives of children in urban poverty remains unseen. This paper argues for deeper theoretical understanding of alienation experienced by children in urban poverty within the Indian schools. To accomplish this, the paper foregrounds the concept of habitus with cultural capital. Habitus provides the conceptual machinery to explain the historically-embodied nature of alienation. Understanding habitus within the material and relational context of urban poverty reveals how historical and cultural processes (such as migration, communal violence, deprivation) lead to deeply embodied dispositions and schemes of perception that further reinforce alienation. Historically, institutional practices of schooling have misrecognized the embodied nature of exclusion. Foregrounding of habitus with cultural capital provides a lens to critically examine schooling practices. This creates dialogue towards dismantling alienating tendencies within the schools.
From Early Care To Family Empowerment: Evaluating The Impact Of A Family Support And Care Programme Implemented In Disadvantaged Contexts
The study presents the impact evaluation of Espacios Infantiles 0–3, a family support and care programme promoted by Fundación ‘la Caixa’ and implemented in socially vulnerable contexts across nine autonomous communities in Spain. A quasi-experimental pre–post design with three equivalent comparison groups was conducted with 1,044 families and 1,217 children aged 0 to 3 years. Two validated instruments were used to measure parental competencies (PICCOLO) and family social vulnerability. Results indicate that program attendance is significantly associated with all outcome measures. Newly enrolled families, who participate more regularly, show the largest improvements in parental competencies, family well-being and reductions in social vulnerability. In contrast, families with longer exposure display more modest changes, a pattern that may reflect ceiling effects, reduced engagement over time, or shifts in living conditions. The findings provide robust evidence of the effectiveness of multidimensional parenting-support interventions in early childhood within socially vulnerable contexts, while underscoring the relevance of participation intensity and timing.
Towards Reconsidering the Image of Children and Youth Who Do Not Use Ibasyo in Japan
In Japan, as issues affecting children, such as school refusal, became more visible in the 1980s, the “lack of a place to belong” emerged as a social problem. Since then, community-based support spaces known as Ibasho (a place where one feels at home) have become widespread. These Ibasho provide a space for people who feel they have nowhere to go. As these spaces became established, they were often appreciated for being easily accessible and for having a minimal sense of adult-led support. However, children and youth who don’t use these Ibasho are often seen as a problem. At an administrative level, the focus is on how to connect them with these support centres. This approach carries the risk of creating “proper places for children” based on adults’ idealised past and future, as Olwig et al. (2003) point out. This could, in turn, lead to the oversight of diverse ways of being. This presentation offers a new interpretation of the fixed, adult-led framework that promotes the 'accessibility of Ibasho'. We contend that some children and youth who feel they have no place to belong and need to find a space where they can feel at ease, yet choose not to go to formal support centres like Ibasho. This presentation will argue for the importance of re-examining the concept of Ibasho from a child's perspective, highlighting its dual nature and limitations, so that these children and youth are not overlooked.
A Comparative Mixed Method Case Study in North East of England and Peninsular of Malaysia: Understanding Children’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing, And Educational Attainment in A Post COVID-19 Restrictions World
COVID-19 exposed and widened inequalities in children’s learning and mental health. Evidence remains scarce on how recovery unfolds across contrasting welfare, structures and education systems. This study investigates how social, structural and cultural factors influence children’s emotional health and wellbeing and educational recovery in the North East of England and Peninsular Malaysia using a critical realist comparative case study design. A mixed-methods comparative case study was conducted (2023–2025). The qualitative strand comprised semi-structured interviews with 30 participants (5 children, 5 parents and 5 teachers per region), analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and cross-case synthesis. Preliminary quantitative work maps current evidence on post-COVID child wellbeing and learning to support later triangulation. Three exploratory patterns emerged: (1) emotional dysregulation and fragile confidence, reflecting anxiety and low self-esteem on school return; (2) structural and digital inequalities, revealing how gaps in access and policy provision hindered recovery; and (3) relational resilience and adaptive support, where teacher empathy, family routines and peer belonging sustained re-engagement. UK participants highlighted school-based wellbeing and structured catch-up initiatives, while Malaysian participants emphasised family and community coping grounded in cultural and faith values. Children’s post-pandemic recovery is contingent on both institutional capacity, and social and relational support systems. Policies that combine school-centred mental-health frameworks with digital equity and culturally responsive family engagement are essential to sustain wellbeing and learning recovery globally.
Dog Walking and Young People’s Sense of Place
Dogs have long been recognised as one of humanity’s closest animal companions, with a history spanning thousands of years. Historically, human–dog relationships were primarily instrumental, shaped by human needs and priorities. In recent decades, however, everyday practices and scholarly perspectives have increasingly acknowledged dogs as sentient and agentic beings. Within the more-than-human paradigm, such relationships are understood as co-constitutive, with non-human actors actively contributing to human spatial practices, everyday life, and sense of place. This reconceptualization invites closer examination of how human–animal interactions influence the formation of place attachments and sense of place. This perspective is particularly relevant in the context of young people, who, during adolescence, intensively engage with urban and neighbourhood spaces as they explore and express their identities, while simultaneously developing foundational place attachments and agency. Daily practices such as dog walking may play a key role in these processes, offering opportunities for interaction, negotiation of autonomy, and shared experiences of place. This presentation reports on a scoping review conducted in line with PRISMA guidelines. The review identified 17 eligible publications, mapping 1,164 studies, that focused on youth–dog relations. Findings reveal four recurrent relational patterns: dogs as companions, motivators of mobility, catalysts of social interaction, and sources of safety. Across these themes, the analysis demonstrates that everyday practices with dogs shape young people’s micro-geographies, increase autonomous mobility, and strengthen affective place attachment. The review also highlights a notable absence of explicitly place-focused theoretical framing in existing studies, pointing to a substantial conceptual and methodological gap.
Youth Self-Management of Leisure: Perception of Rights and Well Being
The way young people access and develop their leisure experiences is a highly relevant issue in the current context. This project focuses on understanding the influence of self-managed leisure on the perception of the right to leisure and on the well-being of young people, both normalized and vulnerable, between 18 and 29 years old. The novelty of this research lies in bringing into dialogue, with normalized and vulnerable young people, the self-management of leisure, the perception of the guarantee of rights, the discourses on subjective well-being (psychological and social), and satisfaction with leisure. This articulation will make it possible to reveal differences between normalized and vulnerable young people regarding gender, the perception of barriers and violations of the right to leisure, the leisure practices carried out and satisfaction with them, as well as the effects of exclusion on these dimensions. To achieve this, a mixed methodological strategy is proposed. The quantitative perspective incorporates structural variables that will allow understanding the different factors that facilitate or hinder autonomy in leisure. The qualitative component includes the perspectives of young people on leisure self-management, aiming to understand the discourses they construct about their leisure, their rights, and their well-being.
Gamified Methods for Youth Engagement: Perspectives from Youth Work Professionals
As traditional participation methods lose appeal among youth, innovative approaches are needed to avert a democratic crisis. In [removed for blind review] project we explore how gamified societal participation methods can support youth participation in European countries. We conducted a digital survey for experts working with youth societal participation in four European countries, to explore what kind of gamified methods they currently use and what kind of challenges they have encountered with these methods. Based on 15 survey responses, Mentimeter, roleplaying (e.g., democracy workshop/simulation, Civic Quest), Kahoot, Seppo.io and DIY games (e.g., points for good deeds, crosswords, Jenga with questions glued on blocks) are currently used. Main challenges with gamified methods were varying background of participants (language skills, age, prior knowledge), unequal access to technology, focusing on game instead of topic, maintaining engagement, technological issues, lack of funding, game elements that discourage youth, unclear instructions and inflexible tools. The survey data was expanded with four interviews with youth work organization workers from Finland (2 participants), Estonia (2), Italy (2), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1). Interview topic was “a gamified dream method for a youth organization to support youth societal participation”. Results suggest that a “dream method” should engage youth to learn and share their opinions around societal topics promoting feeling of inclusion and societal participation. Gamification design must reflect goal-orientedness with collaboration over competition. Facilitating needs included ease of use, adapting to changes, simple to setup, low-cost, reusability, and efficiency. The method could be either analog or digital.
Participation and Empowerment in Eco-Schools: Voices of Eco Warriors
Eco Warriors is an initiative of the Eco-Schools International Program that encourages students to actively engage in sustainability practices and environmental protection. Conducted between September and October 2025, this study involved 115 students of diverse age groups and genders, representing the early years foundation stage, primary, secondary, and additional learning needs departments at Pearling Season International School in Doha, Qatar. Using a survey with closed- and open-ended questions, the study explored students’ prior involvement and motivations, their understanding of environmental topics, their interest in decision-making, and their preferred sustainability practices. Results showed that students expressed strong interest in hands-on environmental and sustainability activities, with 60% prioritizing planting, watering, and clean-up campaigns, and 23% highlighting recycling initiatives. Additionally, 70% of participants indicated a desire to learn more about climate change and sustainable practices through practical, engaging lessons. Importantly, 83% of students, including those with additional learning needs, emphasized the significance of sharing their ideas and participating in decision-making related to school environmental and sustainability activities, underscoring the value of participatory approaches in their learning. Regarding participation context, 73% of students reported engaging in related activities both at school and at home, suggesting willingness to contribute to sustainability efforts beyond structured lessons. Overall, the findings indicate that students value programs that are action-oriented, educational, and community-focused, fostering individual responsibility and collective engagement. The study highlights the importance of integrating student voices in designing and implementing environmental and sustainability initiatives to support empowerment and lifelong positive engagement.
Gender, Displacement, and Statelessness: Early and Forced Marriage as a Mechanism of Survival
This paper explores how gender, displacement, and statelessness intersect to produce early and forced marriage as a mechanism of survival among displaced girls and young women. Statelessness—often resulting from conflict, discriminatory nationality laws, or protracted displacement—creates conditions of extreme precarity in which legal invisibility strips individuals of basic rights to protection, education, and livelihood. Within these conditions, marriage frequently becomes a coping strategy, offering social legitimacy, economic stability, or physical security in the absence of state protection. Grounded in feminist and intersectional theory, the paper argues that early and forced marriage should be understood not solely as a cultural or religious practice, but as an outcome of structural inequalities shaped by gendered power relations, statelessness, and displacement. Drawing on evidence from refugee populations such as the Rohingya in Bangladesh, Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and South Sudanese communities in East Africa, the analysis illustrates how the convergence of patriarchy, poverty, and legal exclusion compels girls into marriages that reinforce gender hierarchies while simultaneously serving as adaptive responses to statelessness. The paper concludes that international humanitarian and legal frameworks inadequately address the gendered dimensions of statelessness and calls for gender-equitable nationality laws, inclusive education policies, and protection systems that prioritize the rights and agency of displaced girls.
Examining The Perspectives of Pentecostal Pastors’ Wives on The Right of Children in Ghana
Child rights abuse is a common phenomenon in Ghana. Over ninety percent of children in Ghana experience different form of abuse of their rights. Promotion and protection of the right of children are appropriate intervention where child right abuses exist. The children’s Acts of Ghana (Acts 560) mandate all persons and institutions to uphold the rights of children. The church of Pentecost is a leading Pentecostal church in Ghana with active presence in every community. The paper explores the perspectives of Pentecostal pastors’ wives on the rights of children, including their roles in the protection of the right of children. Using a qualitative approach, data was generated from thirty-five participants, who were purposively recruited. The study observed that participants have adequate understanding of child rights and view their roles as pastors’ wives as a vital tool to effect changes in areas of child right abuses. The paper concludes that despite adequate understanding and involvement in child rights promotion and protection among Pentecostal pastors’ wives, intentional institutional collaborations are needed for enduring impacts.
Researching the Shore: Co-Creating Coastal Community Arts for Young People
This collaborative research project has been co-produced by the Artistic Directors, practitioners, young people and volunteers, involved in the community arts organisation, House of Wingz, members of the local community, and an educational researcher from the University Centre, Blackpool, Lancashire. The project aims to gain unique insights into the attitudes and perception of young people towards creative arts in their coastal town of residency. It explores how young people and families view the cultural identity of their town and investigates how music, arts, dance and creativity can better engage and empower local young people in creative conversations and activities. This, with a view to improving both educational and employment outcomes for young people, including the prevention of youth crime. The results will inform the production of an original piece of Art, in the form of an outdoor mural which will reflect the cultural values of the local area. The study has the potential, via a future, follow-up project to provide insights into how music, arts, dance and creative activity can positively impact on young people’s well-being and aspiration in coastal towns. Finally, it suggests ways in which local and national organisations can work with collaborators, including young people and practitioners, to create an urban environment that they can be proud of, which includes access to a diverse and meaningful creative arts offer, that will assist them in developing the essential skills that they need to be able to successfully navigate their lives.
Young Children as Co-Contributors in Qualitative Research: Developing Creative Interview Methods
Children have the right to freedom of expression regarding topics important to them, via any communication medium (UNCRC, 1989). Conducting research on as opposed to with young children fails to fulfil their rights, promoting misconceptions that children are incapable of providing meaningful data. The start of formal education presents many challenges for young children; very little studies has involved children as active participants sharing their experiences. This co-design study aimed to produce, through involvement with young children, a creative interview package for 4–5-year-olds to discuss the challenges of starting formal education. Five individual co-design sessions, and 3 pilot interviews with young children, aged 3 to 5 years old, were explored to develop the final interview package. Photo-prompts, drawing activities, and the use of a toy puppet were explored within the sessions, collecting children’s verbal feedback and recommendations, as well as the authors reflective notes. A four-stage process was developed to curate the final package; Exploration, Adaptation, Confirmation and a Pilot phase. Children in this study demonstrated their capability in providing reflective accounts of their experiences with the right interview methods. The level of detail recalled from their school experiences differed depending on the chosen method. The children demonstrated there was no ‘one-size fits all’ technique as each child personalised the activity towards their communication preferences (e.g., drawing over speaking). Ensuring children’s voices are heard can generate research outcomes that are directly relevant to their
A Grounded Theory Approach to Proposing an Intervention for Rehabilitating Street Children in Pakistan: A Focus on Mental Health
This study examines the complex social processes underpinning the rehabilitation of street children in Pakistan, with a particular focus on mental health. Using a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, data were collected through in-depth interviews with a diverse group of stakeholders, including street children, their parents, police officers, child welfare officials, schoolteachers, NGO representatives, and members of the public in Pakistan. The interview schedules were developed from existing literature, refined through theoretical sampling, and translated using Brislin’s back-translation method to ensure cultural and linguistic accuracy. The resulting analysis followed Charmaz’s integrative coding approach, progressing from open coding to focused and theoretical coding. The findings culminated in the development of the Theory of Multidimensional Framework for Understanding and Supporting Street Children. This framework highlights three interconnected dimensions: (1) resilience, vulnerability, and child welfare perspectives; (2) societal and institutional influences on child welfare; and (3) culturally responsive and sustainable interventions. The study reveals that the needs of street children extend beyond immediate concerns such as shelter and food, encompassing long-term educational, psychological, legal, and social support. Importantly, the results underscore the significance of collaborative action among government bodies, welfare agencies, NGOs, educational institutions, and communities. By centring the voices of street children and other key stakeholders, this research provides an evidence-based foundation for policy development and intervention design. The multidimensional framework offers a holistic, adaptable, and culturally sensitive model capable of guiding sustainable change and improving the well-being of one of Pakistan’s most underserved populations, with implications for other developing countries.
“Nowhere to Hide”: The Impact of the Anglophone Crisis on Children in Cameroon
Since 2016, the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon has escalated into a prolonged armed conflict, displacing over half a million people and significantly affecting the lives of children in the Northwest and Southwest regions. My paper seeks to explore the various impacts of the crisis on children and youth, using field reports, testimonies, and NGO data to highlight the disruption of education, exposure to violence, psychological trauma, child displacement, and the rise in child labour and recruitment by armed groups. Schools have turned into battlegrounds, with over 80% of educational institutions in conflict-affected areas closed, depriving children of their right to education for years. Many children have witnessed or survived violent attacks, lost family members, or become internally displaced, often living in insecure conditions with limited access to healthcare, food, or safe shelter. In some cases, children have been forcibly recruited or manipulated into joining armed factions, further increasing their vulnerability. This research advocates for urgent, child-focused responses in humanitarian efforts, including psychosocial support, access to safe education, and reintegration programmes. It also calls for greater international attention to the often-overlooked plight of Cameroon's Anglophone children, whose futures are being shaped by violence and neglect. By centring the voices and experiences of affected children, the study underscores the importance of building peace through inclusive, youth-focused strategies that prioritise healing, protection, and long-term resilience.
Foster Care And The Role Of The Social Worker In Foster Care Communities In Romania
Foster care represents a crucial component of contemporary child protection systems, offering children deprived of parental care the opportunity to grow in a stable, family-like environment. Within this framework, the social worker holds a central and multidimensional role, acting simultaneously as coordinator, advocate, counselor, and monitor of the child’s wellbeing. This paper provides a descriptive and theoretical analysis of the social worker’s functions in foster care communities, exploring the ways in which professional intervention supports both the..foster..families..and..the..children..in..their..care. Drawing on theories of ecological systems, professional role identity, and strengthbased social work practice, the study highlights how effective social work contributes to maintaining the balance between the child’s individual needs, family dynamics, and institutional requirements. The paper also examines the ongoing challenges related to professional supervision, inter-agency collaboration, and emotional resilience among practitioners working in foster care, in Romania.
Narratives of Filipino Houseparents in Residential Children Care Facilities
Residential care facilities in the Philippines rely predominantly on houseparents to provide daily physical and emotional support to children with disabilities. Despite their central role, there remains a paucity of scholarly attention to how houseparents construct meaning around their caregiving responsibilities. This study sought to examine the narratives of houseparents within a government-run residential care facility. Employing a qualitative narrative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six houseparents aged 30–65, each possessing a minimum of three years of caregiving experience. Data analysis drew upon Clandinin and Connelly’s (2002) three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework, Barkhuizen’s (2007) three-scale narrative space, and thematic analysis informed by the Person-Environment-Occupation model. The findings illuminated three higher order themes: Personal Vocation Journeys in Residential Care Facilities, Weaving Environmental Conditions into the Houseparent’s Role, and Occupational Realities of Caregiving in Residential Care Settings. The study concludes that stronger institutional support, targeted training, and mental health interventions are essential to sustain the well-being of houseparents and improve the quality of care in local residential facilities.
Aquatic Therapy as a Psychomotor Intervention for Children with Physical Disabilities
Aquatic therapy offers a unique environment for children with physical disabilities to explore movement beyond the limitations experienced on land. The buoyancy, resistance, and hydrostatic pressure of water provide natural support and challenge, promoting postural control, coordination, and overall motor skills. This study focuses on the psychomotor and psychosocial benefits of aquatic interventions, integrating principles from motor learning and body-oriented therapy. A 12-week individualized aquatic therapy program was implemented, focusing on strengthening the core, enhancing lower limb coordination, and facilitating functional movement patterns. Motor outcomes were assessed through standardized tests of gross motor function before and after the intervention. Results demonstrated measurable improvements in trunk stability, movement fluidity, and task endurance, indicating that the aquatic environment effectively supports neuromuscular activation and controlled movement execution. These findings confirm the therapeutic potential of water-based interventions as a complementary approach in pediatric rehabilitation for children with physical disabilities.
The Well-being of Children in La Dade-Kotopon: How Poor Sanitation, Healthcare Access, and Crowded Homes Create a Cycle of Disadvantage
This study examines the critical factors undermining child well-being in the La DadeKotopon Municipality, positing that poor sanitation, limited healthcare access, and overcrowded living conditions form a synergistic cycle of disadvantage. Employing a qualitative methodology, data were gathered via interviews with community stakeholders, including local officials and residents. The analysis identifies persistent open defecation as a primary sanitation failure, directly contributing to a high burden of preventable diseases such as cholera and typhoid among children. This compromised health status is further aggravated by significant barriers to consistent and affordable healthcare. Concurrently, the prevalence of overcrowded homes facilitates the rapid transmission of illness and impedes the maintenance of hygienic environments. The research concludes that these three elements are not isolated issues but are deeply interconnected; poor sanitation increases disease incidence, which overwhelms limited healthcare access, and overcrowding intensifies both the exposure and the vulnerability. This cycle perpetuates a state of chronic poor health, negatively impacting children's school attendance, cognitive development, and long-term prospects. Breaking this cycle requires integrated interventions that simultaneously address infrastructural deficits in sanitation, improve the affordability and reach of healthcare services, and promote public health education within the community.
Efficacy of a Bundled Psychosocial Intervention on HIV Linkage and Retention in Care for Street Children and Youth in Uganda: A Prospective Cohort Study
Street children and youth (SCY) experience disproportionately high HIV prevalence and face substantial barriers to initiating and remaining in care, often due to mental health challenges and unstable living conditions. This prospective cohort study evaluated the effectiveness of an integrated mental health and HIV (MH-HIV) intervention on improving linkage to and retention in care among SCY in Kampala, Uganda, between 2023 and 2024. Participants were assigned to either an intervention cohort (IC; n=85) receiving a bundled MH-HIV package including trust-based outreach, on-the-spot mental health first aid and screening, peer support, trauma-informed counseling, same-day ART initiation, and structured support groups or a standard-of-care cohort (SC; n=80) receiving routine HIV counseling and testing. Primary outcomes were ART initiation within 30 days of diagnosis and retention in care at six months. Participants in the IC were significantly more likely to initiate ART promptly (aHR = 3.42; 95% CI: 2.05–5.72; p < 0.001) and had higher retention at six months (78.8% vs. 45.0%), yielding an absolute risk difference of 33.8% (95% CI: 18.9–48.7; p < 0.001) and a number needed to treat of 3. The IC also showed greater improvement in depressive symptoms (mean PHQ-9 change 5.6; 95% CI: –7.3 to –3.9; p < 0.001). These findings suggest that integrated MH-HIV interventions can substantially enhance care outcomes for SCY and should be prioritized in efforts to meet UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets in vulnerable populations.
Healthcare and Mental Health of Children
What Youth Development Work in India Tells Us about the Gendered Nature of Labour Migration
The daily-wage manual labour in our country is migratory. People move from villages and smaller towns to big cities in search of higher wages and more work opportunities. This migration comprises not only of youth chasing livelihood, but also them chasing their dreams. Yet, we often forget how profoundly the gender dynamics of our societies shape these processes. This essay investigates how different expectations from men and women in tribal villages influences migration patterns, livelihood choices, and pursual of aspirations among the youth from these communities. It does this on the basis of seven years of fieldwork in Gond and Baiga tribal villages of Madhya Pradesh. The first section talks about the migration patterns of the young men – where they go, why they go, the migration statistics, and the social and familial pressures they experience. The second section turns the gaze towards the women of the tribal villages, in terms of what is expected of them and their migration patterns. The final section investigates what all happens to the community, the family, the individual, and other young women when some young women take the opportunity to break the barrier and move out of their village. This section reveals that when this happens, these young women are often able to create an independent identity for themselves, send money back home, and think about a career – something that might have been difficult for them to even imagine before stepping out. It is this final section that particularly complicates prevalent notions of labour migration, youth development, and livelihood generation in contemporary India. It also highlights the importance of development work with young people and their families of the country, as each success story that emerges becomes a role model for others to follow in the future.
Negotiating Parent Engagement and Children’s Well-Being in Early Childhood Education: Insights from Swedish Preschools
This research investigates parents’ perspectives on engagement in Swedish early childhood education, focusing on how home–preschool partnerships and communication practices contribute to children’s well-being. Well-being is understood as the integrated promotion of care, development, and learning, as outlined in the Swedish Preschool Curriculum (Lpfö 18). Informed by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital, and field, and curriculum theory, the study examines how parental engagement is conceptualised, enabled, and enacted within preschool settings. Drawing on four interconnected sub-studies, a post humanist analysis of child–parent–teacher–environment relations, a phenomenological study of pedagogical tact, a comparative Nordic policy analysis, and a Bourdieusian reframing of engagement, the research identifies three dimensions of engagement: ontological (co-creation between actors and environments), ethical (teachers’ professional responsibility), and structural (policy and institutional frameworks). Findings indicate that while the curriculum promotes collaboration and dialogue, its non-prescriptive nature leads to diverse practices shaped by educators’ competence and institutional resources. This flexibility allows for context-sensitive approaches but can also reproduce inequalities, privileging families with greater cultural capital. Parents value preschool as a safe and developmental space yet often feel uncertain about their roles, reflecting persistent power imbalances in home–preschool relations. The study concludes that meaningful parental engagement is a dynamic, negotiated process requiring relational sensitivity, professional expertise, and supportive institutional structures. Strengthening teacher education in family engagement, addressing structural barriers, and incorporating parent perspectives into policy development are key to fostering equitable, democratic, and child-centred early education.
Comparing Narratives of Harm: Popular Media, Policy Directives and Safeguarding Practices Regarding Sexual and Intimate Partner Abuse Between Students in UK Schools
This paper looks at policy developments in English school safeguarding regarding sexual abuse between students and how this complex issue is reflected in popular media. Sexual violence and harassment between secondary school age students is a global concern. In the UK this issue gained public prominence after the website Everyone’s Invited allowed victims/survivors to post their personal accounts of abuse in schools in 2021. Historically, academia has long identified two broad categories of causal explanations for abuse, building on different constructions of childhood – the individual, and the cultural. UK policy, however, remained largely focussed on individual explanations and incidents until 2021 when the focus shifted for a time to include cultural explanations. Drawing on my research of news and popular media, and policy, and with school safeguarding leads, I discuss how the individualist focus of UK policy was reflected in UK entertainment media’s portrayals of abuse. I contrast this with the more multi-factorial approach in US policy and media. I consider how since Everyone’s Invited increased the public understanding of peer abuse, popular entertainment shows in the UK have echoed policy developments in considering cultural and institutional issues alongside individualist narratives using examples from TV dramas Consent (Channel 4) and Adolescence (Netflix). I contend that the struggles with intersectionality, the desire to avoid judgemental attitudes, and the narrowing of cultural explanations to factors like pornography and radicalisation reflect many of the developments seen in approaches to safeguarding but not always the wider academic research.
Implementing the Voice of the Child in Judicial Responses to Child Abuse Cases
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which the judicial system implements the Voice of the Child in abuse-related cases, focusing on South Africa within an international context. Although strong legal frameworks exist, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and South Africa’s Children’s Act 38 of 2005, children’s voices remain frequently marginalised in judicial proceedings. This paper draws on two strands of evidence. The first is a qualitative Master’s research study (Hermann, 2025) involving interviews with South African judges, magistrates, and advocates to explore how child participation is facilitated or constrained in cases involving both substantiated abuse and false allegations. The second strand derives from practice-based evidence, reflecting over 140 forensic child interviews conducted between 2023 and 2025 across child protection organisations and private practice. Supplementary insights are drawn from organisational data (Teddy Bear Foundation, 2024), state-level outcomes (NPA, 2022), national statistics (Statistics South Africa, 2023), and international reports (UNICEF, 2024; UN News, 2024). Findings highlight systemic silencing through judicial biases, adult-centric narratives, repeated expert appointments, and prolonged delays that prevent therapeutic access. While state-level data show a 76.7% conviction rate in finalised Thuthuzela Care Centre cases, NGO data from the Teddy Bear Foundation in Gauteng indicate that only around 19% of reported child abuse cases resulted in conviction, with many matters withdrawn or never reaching trial; regional data from the Western Cape further show that only 4% of finalised child abuse cases in 2023 resulted in a conviction (IOL, 2024). Globally, one billion children experience violence each year, yet few meaningfully participate in judicial processes. Embedding the Voice of the Child is therefore essential to strengthen rights, ensure justice, and prevent secondary victimisation in both national and global contexts.
The Global Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Criminal Behavior: A Cross-Continental Study
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been associated with a greater risk of later criminal offending. However, existing research in this area has been primarily conducted in Western developed countries and cross-cultural studies are rare. Objectives: This study examined the relationship between ACEs and criminal behaviors in young adults living in 10 countries located across five continents, after accounting for sex, age, and cross-national differences. Participants and setting: In total, 3797 young adults aged between 18 and 20 years (M = 18.97; DP = 0.81) were assessed locally in community settings within the 10 countries. Method: The ACE Questionnaire was used to assess maltreatment and household dysfunction during childhood and a subset of questions derived from the Deviant Behavior Variety Scale (DBVS) was used to determine past-year criminal variety pertaining to 10 acts considered crime across participating countries. Results: Physical and sexual abuse, physical neglect, and household substance abuse were related to criminal variety, globally, and independently across sexes and countries ranked differently in the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). In addition, three out of five experiences of household dysfunction were related to criminal variety, but subsequent analyses indicate that some forms of household dysfunction only hold statistical significance among males or females, or in countries ranking lower in the HDI. Conclusions: This research strengthens the finding that there are cross-cultural mechanisms perpetuating the cycle of violence.
Reframing Equity Through Open Spatial Education: A Scalable Learning Model Rooted in Architecture and Museum Pedagogy
This study introduces a design-based research project leveraging open educational resources (OER) to address spatial learning disparities in Taiwan's early and primary education. Rooted in principles of adaptability, accessibility, and scalability, the curriculum translates complex architectural and museum concepts from Taichung's "Green Museum and Library" into hands-on, age-appropriate learning modules. The methodology involves iterative design, implementation, observation, and refinement, with continuous feedback from on-site observations and student work analysis in kindergarten and elementary settings. Key design features include multi-level difficulty tasks ensuring universal participation, Creative Commons BY-NC licensing for digital, low-cost, reproducible materials, and a modular structure with comprehensive support for non-specialist educators, facilitating interdisciplinary teaching. Findings indicate that the materials' adaptability allows for varied content depth and stimulates student creativity, fostering a more personalized learning experience. Their accessibility effectively overcomes regional resource disparities and significantly reduces teacher preparation burden, promoting wider adoption. Furthermore, the modularity and scalability foster active learning, critical problem-solving skills, and a deeper interdisciplinary understanding of public space issues. This transforms students from passive knowledge receivers into active spatial thinkers and future citymakers, cultivating enhanced civic awareness. This project aligns with UNESCO’s OER recommendations and SDG 4, promoting educational equity and sustainable development goals.
Consumed: How Digital Content Is Shaping a New Generation of Harm
We are witnessing a silent crisis. Children are not just watching content—they are being shaped, conditioned, and consumed by it. Graphic digital content is no longer the exception; it’s the norm. Misogynistic ideologies are not hidden in dark corners—they’re front and centre, driven by algorithmic design and influencer culture. Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) is escalating at an alarming rate, yet our societal response remains far too slow. As the founder of Away From Keyboard (AFK) Inc., I’ve spent years on the frontline of digital harm prevention, working with children, carers, and neurodivergent communities abandoned by systems not built to respond to these threats. In this presentation, I explore how youth are influenced by online culture, including emerging themes in streaming programs like Adolescence, and the constant exposure to violence, coercion, and hyper-sexualisation. Through AFK’s trauma-informed programs and the Unsafe by Design framework, I demonstrate how young people are internalising harmful messages that reshape their identities, empathy, and sense of belonging. Influencers are now shaping how children see the world—and many are teaching them to dehumanise. This discussion is not about demonising platforms; it is a call to recognise the tipping point we have reached. When tech outpaces regulation and childhood becomes collateral damage, we must ask: how do we keep up? If we do not act with urgency, ethics, and care, we risk raising a generation desensitised to harm and disconnected from compassion. The time to reimagine online safety is not tomorrow—it’s now.
Federated Learning for Privacy-Preserving Cyberbullying Detection: A Comprehensive Review of Challenges, Technologies, and Privacy Considerations in Child Protection
The threat of cyberbullying is also emerging as an issue more serve than bullying and psychologies harassment, as it alters the child’s welfare in distinct ways. Centralized detection mechanisms also fail due to privacy violating, on-scalability, and data silos that are heterogeneous data problematic. Federated Leaning(FL) can be a potential solution as it allows for collaborative model training across distributed devices without exposing sensitive user data. The significant contribution of this review is the discussion of how federated learning in all the cyberbullying detection system for children can be combined smoothly. We contract the current best models such as deep Convolution Neural Networks(CNN), Recurrent Neural Networks(RNN) long short term memory and other transformer-based models such as BERT. This survey also comes with various privacy-protecting secure methods such as aggregation, differential privacy, and blockchain that may be used to aid federated learning in its ability to process otherwise non-IID data from multiple heterogeneous sources. The obtained results show that FL based solution allow for attaining detection accuracies from around 74% up to more than 90% with competitive quality and under user privacy preservation. Hybrid architectures and transformer based state of the art models achieve considerable gain over baseline with computation communication overhead tradeoff. Addressing current technical limitations through continued research on hybrid deep learning approaches and enhanced security protocols will be crucial to move these innovations towards real world applications that ensure online environment online environments are safer for vulnerable populations.
Don Simon Patabadi Shashitha Udesh De Silva
Copyright (c) 2025 Proceedings of the Global Conference on Children and Youth
Child Care Reform in India: Emerging Trends and Strategic Approaches
Over the last few years, India has experienced a shift in the legislative and policy areas of child care and protection through the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and Mission Vatsalya Guidelines (2022). The shift aims to ensure that every child grows up in a stable and safe family and that institutions should be seen as the last resort. The study explores the role of political will through the lens of laws, policies, institutions, and judicial support in promoting care reforms and overcoming systemic barriers. It looks at the unexplored challenges in implementing family-based care models, such as gaps in interdepartmental convergence, financial sustainability, and capacity building. The study examines the implementation of care reform in four states across India using qualitative research techniques (semi-structured interviews, case studies, and secondary data analysis) assessing how these state Governments have adapted national policies to innovative local situations to preserve family systems. The findings disclose that this sector requires more funding allocations to ensure that resources can be directed toward preventive and rehabilitative programs, strengthening family-based care models, and technology-based systems that can facilitate real-time data monitoring leading to informed decision-making. It also underlines the importance of the financial stability of families through expanded access to social protection schemes, livelihood opportunities, and building resilience. For qualitative assessments and effective intervention, a strong child protection workforce with enhanced inter-departmental collaboration is needed. Empowering families and communities will ensure every child’s right to a supportive home that enables them to thrive.
The Influence of Advertising Exposure On Social Media Platforms On Saudi Children’s Materialistic Attitudes
In the new era, children suffer from an attraction towards materialism, which shapes their perceptions and their attitudes towards real-life values. With the rapid technological revolution in the world, parents' concerns about their children's obsession with a materialistic lifestyle have increased. Social media advertising is considered a hidden influencer that significantly affects children's consumption trends. The current research aims to explore the effect of Saudi children’s exposure to commercial advertisements on social media platforms on their materialistic attitudes. The sample included randomly selected children aged 9 to 10 years, including both sexes (nboys= 180, ngirls= 220) from Saudi Arabia, who filled out a selfadministered questionnaire. The results revealed that Saudi children showed a clearer picture of their materialistic tendencies than expected. The results showed that there is a correlation between the amount of time children spend exposed to commercial advertisements online and their materialistic attitudes. This negatively affects their low self-confidence and selfacceptance. Most children believe that the better they look in expensive and luxurious clothing brands in photos posted on social media platforms, the more others will accept them. The results of our research are valuable to parents and policymakers in terms of clarifying the impact of children’s repeated exposure to advertisements on social media platforms on their obsession with buying, which strengthens their materialistic attitudes and thus negatively affects their psychological health.