Child Protection Law and Protecting Vulnerable Children: A Human Rights-Based Analysis of Child Protection, Juvenile Justice, Child Welfare Systems, Education Policies, and Prevention of Exploitation and Abuse
Abstract
The increasing vulnerability of children has become a major global concern in the contemporary human rights landscape. Children face a wide range of risks, including child abuse, human trafficking, child labor, online exploitation, bullying, cyberbullying, neglect, and domestic violence. These challenges not only threaten children's safety and well-being but also undermine the realization of their fundamental rights. Consequently, child protection has evolved from a welfare-oriented concern into a central issue of international human rights law. This study aims to analyze child protection law from a human rights perspective, examine international legal standards governing child protection, and assess legal mechanisms designed to safeguard vulnerable children. The research employs normative legal research using statutory, conceptual, human rights, and comparative approaches. Primary legal materials include international human rights instruments, child protection treaties, and relevant legal frameworks, while secondary materials consist of scholarly literature and academic commentaries. The findings indicate that children are recognized as rights-holders under international law and that states bear the primary responsibility for respecting, protecting, and fulfilling children's rights. Furthermore, effective child protection requires the integration of legal, welfare, educational, and juvenile justice systems within a comprehensive rights-based framework. As a theoretical contribution, this study proposes an Integrated Child Rights Protection Framework consisting of six pillars: prevention, protection, participation, child-friendly justice, recovery and reintegration, and accountability. The framework offers a holistic model for strengthening child protection policies and practices in response to contemporary challenges affecting vulnerable children.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Journals:
Abrams, L. S. (2006). Listening to juvenile offenders: Can residential treatment prevent recidivism? Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 23(1), 61–85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-005-0039-2
Astor, R. A., Benbenishty, R., & Estrada, J. N. (2009). School violence and theoretically atypical schools: The principal's centrality in orchestrating safe schools. American Educational Research Journal, 46(2), 423–461. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831208329598
Basu, K., & Tzannatos, Z. (2003). The global child labor problem: What do we know and what can we do? The World Bank Economic Review, 17(2), 147–173. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhg021
Berrick, J. D. (2018). The impossible imperative: Navigating the competing principles of child protection. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 12(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40723-018-0053-y
Doek, J. E. (2019). The human rights of children: An introduction. International Journal of Children's Rights, 27(3), 533–548.
Greenbaum, J. (2014). Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children in the United States. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 44(9), 245–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cppeds.2014.07.001
Greenwood, P. (2008). Prevention and intervention programs for juvenile offenders. The Future of Children, 18(2), 185–210.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2010). Bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide. Archives of Suicide Research, 14(3), 206–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2010.494133
Hutchinson, T., & Duncan, N. (2012). Defining and describing what we do: Doctrinal legal research. Deakin Law Review, 17(1), 83–119.
Kilkelly, U. (2008). Youth justice and children's rights: Measuring compliance with international standards. Youth Justice, 8(3), 187–193. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473225408091375
Kilkelly, U. (2019). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Incremental and transformative approaches to legal implementation. International Journal of Children's Rights, 27(2), 323–337. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718182-02702005
Ko, S. J., Ford, J. D., Kassam-Adams, N., Berkowitz, S. J., Wilson, C., Wong, M., Brymer, M. J., & Layne, C. M. (2008). Creating trauma-informed systems: Child welfare, education, first responders, health care, juvenile justice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39(4), 396–404. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.39.4.396
Livingstone, S., & Third, A. (2017). Children and young people's rights in the digital age. New Media & Society, 19(5), 657–670. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816686318
Lundy, L. (2007). Voice is not enough: Conceptualising Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. British Educational Research Journal, 33(6), 927–942. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920701657033
Lundy, L., Kilkelly, U., Byrne, B., & Kang, J. (2021). The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and child participation rights. International Journal of Children's Rights, 29(3), 549–570.
Nour, N. M. (2009). Child marriage: A silent health and human rights issue. Reviews in Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2(1), 51–56.
Rodrigo, M. J., Almeida, A., Spiel, C., & Koops, W. (2012). Evidence-based parent education programmes to promote positive parenting. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(1), 2–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2011.631282
Roelen, K., & Sabates-Wheeler, R. (2012). A child-sensitive approach to social protection: Serving practical and strategic needs. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 20(3), 291–306. https://doi.org/10.1332/175982712X657129
Smith, P. K., & Brain, P. (2000). Bullying in schools: Lessons from two decades of research. Aggressive Behavior, 26(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337(2000)26:1<1::AID-AB1>3.0.CO;2-7
Wessells, M. (2015). Bottom-up approaches to strengthening child protection systems: Placing children, families, and communities at the center. Child Abuse & Neglect, 43, 8–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.04.006
Books:
Bequele, A., & Myers, W. E. (1995). First things first in child labour: Eliminating work detrimental to children. UNICEF.
Braithwaite, J. (2002). Restorative justice and responsive regulation. Oxford University Press.
Delgado, M. (2007). Social work with children and families: Connecting theory to practice. Oxford University Press.
Dottridge, M. (2008). Kids as commodities? Child trafficking and what to do about it. Terre des Hommes.
Freeman, M. (2011). A commentary on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
Gilbert, N., Parton, N., & Skivenes, M. (2011). Child protection systems: International trends and orientations. Oxford University Press.
Junger-Tas, J., & Decker, S. H. (Eds.). (2006). International handbook of juvenile justice. Springer.
Marzuki, P. M. (2021). Penelitian hukum (Edisi revisi). Kencana.
McConville, M., & Chui, W. H. (Eds.). (2017). Research methods for law (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press.
Slee, R. (2011). The irregular school: Exclusion, schooling and inclusive education. Routledge.
Soekanto, S., & Mamudji, S. (2015). Penelitian hukum normatif: Suatu tinjauan singkat. Rajawali Pers.
Staksrud, E. (2013). Children in the online world: Risk, regulation and rights. Ashgate.
Tobin, J. (Ed.). (2019). The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: A commentary. Oxford University Press.
Tobis, D. (2013). From pariahs to partners: How parents and their allies changed New York City's child welfare system. Oxford University Press.
Van Bueren, G. (1998). The international law on the rights of the child. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
Zweigert, K., & Kötz, H. (1998). An introduction to comparative law (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Regulations:
International Labour Organization. (1999). Convention No. 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour.
United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
United Nations. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child.
United Nations. (2000). Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
United Nations. (2000). Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo Protocol).
United Nations. (2010). Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Other Sources:
Browne, K. (2009). The risk of harm to young children in institutional care. Save the Children UK.
Hazel, N. (2008). Cross-national comparison of youth justice. Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
Livingstone, S., Carr, J., & Byrne, J. (2015). One in three: Internet governance and children's rights. Global Commission on Internet Governance.
Munro, E. (2011). The Munro review of child protection: Final report. UK Department for Education.
Third, A., Bellerose, D., Dawkins, U., Keltie, E., & Pihl, K. (2014). Children's rights in the digital age. Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre.
UNICEF. (2023). The State of the World's Children 2023. UNICEF.
UNICEF. (2023). Child Marriage: Latest Trends and Future Prospects. UNICEF.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2024). Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024. UNODC.
International Labour Organization, & UNICEF. (2021). Child Labour: Global Estimates 2020, Trends and the Road Forward. ILO & UNICEF.
World Health Organization. (2020). Global Status Report on Preventing Violence Against Children. WHO.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/icls.v6i1.53917
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Faculty of Law, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
PROCEEDING OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE LAW DEVELOPMENT FOR PUBLIC WELFARE (PICLDPW) has been indexed by National Acreditation and NELITI
Editorial Office: RUMAH JURNAL FH UNISSULA: 2nd Floor Imam As Syafei Building Faculty of Law Universitas Islam Sultan Agung. Jln. Kaligawe KM. 4, Semarang City, Central Java, Indonesia. Phone +62 24 6583584 Fax +62 24 6582455
Email: rumahjurnalfh@unissula.ac.id
PROCEEDING OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE LAW DEVELOPMENT FOR PUBLIC WELFARE (PICLDPW) (ISSN : 2798-9313), This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).