Illinois: Failing in its Duty and Failing its Children

April 12th, 2016

Illinois’ elected officials are failing in their basic and, arguably, most important responsibility: passing a balanced state budget. Its failure to do so is causing increasing harm to its most vulnerable citizens—children. On March 15, Youth Service Project (YSP), a youth serving organization located in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood for the past 40 years, suspended […]


The Cognitive and Mental Health Risks of Child Exposure to Environmental Toxins

March 4th, 2016

After the recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan—described recently in another blog by CHRC’s Patrick CoatarPeter—the issue of environmental toxin exposure, disproportionately experienced by underserved communities and individuals of color, has again risen to the public’s attention. The CHRC has identified children’s environmental health, including possible exposures to these toxins, as one of three priority […]


Access to Clean Water – A Human Rights Issue

February 3rd, 2016

Access to clean water is a basic resource for human survival.  Increasingly, however, access to clean water is being compromised around the world.  While the United States is rich in clean water, evidence suggests that some local governments are failing to deliver it equitably to all residents. Ironically, today’s most notable clean water crises are […]


The Role of Businesses in Human Trafficking

The Role of Businesses in Human Trafficking

January 8th, 2016

January 11, 2016 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the United States, and in 2011, President Barack Obama proclaimed January to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. In his proclamation, he called on assistance of not only traditional players, including national and community organizations and faith-based groups, but also called for businesses […]


These are Children and Families

These are Children and Families

October 22nd, 2015

Last summer, the US experienced an unprecedented surge of migrant children, over 60,000 arrived mostly from Central America’s most dangerous communities, seeking sanctuary and protection in the United States. Our Center had several media outlets pounding at our door. Some of the reporters   asked about the conditions of the home country, and where the […]


U.S. Funding: Anti-Trafficking Efforts Severely Underfunded

U.S. Funding: Anti-Trafficking Efforts Severely Underfunded

April 16th, 2015

  Human trafficking is estimated to be a $150 billion global industry and one of the top three most lucrative crimes. However, current U.S. funding for anti-trafficking programs is about $112.1 million. These programs fund both efforts to prosecute traffickers and to provide services to victims of this heinous crime. The current federal funding allocated […]


The Shame of the United States’ Failure to Ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

February 13th, 2015

In January of this year, the government of Somalia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), making it the 195th country to do so. Somalia’s action leaves only the United States and South Sudan remaining in the group of nations who have not yet ratified the CRC in the 26 years since […]


Ending Human Trafficking: Awareness

January 30th, 2015

January is National Human Trafficking and Slavery Prevention Month.   Usually viewed as a global issue, most people do not realize that human trafficking is also a critical issue facing the United States. While data on this issue is challenging to obtain, given the secretive nature of human trafficking, experts estimate that millions of people around […]


Upholding the Human Rights of Undocumented Migrant Children

December 2nd, 2014

On Thursday, November 13th, Loyola University Chicago’s Center for the Human Rights of Children hosted a day long teach-in event, The Child Migrant: Children Crossing Borders.1 The purpose of this day-long educational program was to provide Loyola students and the community an opportunity to learn more about this critical children’s rights issue. This event not […]


UN Special Rapporteurs Visit Detroit Regarding Water Shut-Offs

UN Special Rapporteurs Visit Detroit Regarding Water Shut-Offs

October 30th, 2014

In Detroit, MI, water shut-offs have become extremely common in homes due to failure to pay the bill. Over the past several months, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has been disconnecting water services from around 3,000 customers per week. These customers are ones who have not paid their water bills in two months. It is estimated at […]