Recognizing that children require special protections due to their vulnerabilities, the Center for the Human Rights of Children (CHRC) was established in 2007 to pursue an agenda of interdisciplinary research, outreach and education, and advocacy to address critical and complex issues affecting children and youth, both locally and globally. CHRC applies a human rights approach to the problems affecting children, reaffirming that the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all people is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. Moreover, it does so with respect for the rights and responsibilities of parents, teachers, and other caregivers entrusted with raising children.
CHRC is a component of the Civitas ChildLaw Center at Loyola School of Law, and works in collaboration with faculty and students participating in other ChildLaw clinics and institutes. While CHRC spearheads and supports numerous projects that work to advance the human rights of children, we have identified three categories of local-global contemporary children’s rights issues where we can be most effective. These singular issues are also often interrelated, and represent areas that build on current Center expertise, programming, and resources. The three categories are:
- Child trafficking and exploitation
- Children’s health and environmental toxins
- Children and migration
