Person peeking through a torn cardboard hole with visible eyes and hands.

Invisible Hours: Child Labour in Bangladesh’s Toxic Informal Economy

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, childabuse, Children's Rights, Guest Posts, Reporting and News - International

Child labour in Bangladesh remains widespread, especially in the informal economy and leather industry, where children work extreme hours in toxic, hazardous conditions for less than US$2 a day. Drawing on a 2024 UNICEF report, a five year CLARISSA study, and a foundational ILO assessment of push and pull factors, this post explains why Bangladesh is a child labour hot spot and how poverty, poor health, and employer demand keep children trapped in dangerous work instead of school.
Excerpt
Child labour in Bangladesh has not disappeared—it has shifted into the informal economy, where children work long hours in toxic, unsafe conditions for very low pay. A 2024 UNICEF report shows that child labour rates remain significantly high, while a five year CLARISSA study reveals that 27% of workers in small leather enterprises are children handling chemicals, heavy loads, and dangerous machinery.
This post also revisits a key 1997 ILO assessment of push and pull factors that explains why poverty, poor health, disaster, and employer demand continue to drive children into hazardous work instead of school. Together, these findings show why Bangladesh remains a hot spot for child labour and why solutions must address both household poverty and the structure of informal labour markets.

Details
Logo for Kara, Kids at Risk Action organization.

Ending Meaningful Child Protection in America

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, neglect, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

A federal “bonfire of deregulation” and plans to erase “neglect” from child protection law are quietly dismantling Child Protective Services in America. Backed by the president and his base, these policies weaken legal protections, strip away thousands of pages of guidance, hide crucial government information, and slash funding—placing at‑risk children and families in even greater danger.

Details
Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

Foster Care Realities, Problems, and Solutions

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Their stories

Foster care is meant to protect children whose lives are in danger, but for many youth, it leads to a painful transition into adulthood with little support and almost no transparency. Most critical data in Child Protective Services (CPS) is never tracked or reported, and decades of experience show that nearly 80% of youth aging out of foster care go on to lead dysfunctional lives, with enormous costs to public health, safety, and education.
This article, based on the work of Minnesota’s FOSTER ADVOCATES, explores the realities of foster care and the Extended Foster Care (EFC) program: the barriers youth face, the strengths of EFC, and the systemic gaps in housing, data, training, and life skills preparation. It concludes with 14 recommendations to improve data, accountability, and support so that foster youth are not punished for trauma, but given a real chance at stability and success.
Read, share, and then contact your legislators using the links provided to demand better outcomes for foster youth

Details
Young boy with dark hair wearing a white shirt outdoors.

Child Labour in Fast Fashion: How Our Clothing Choices Harm Children

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Guest Posts, INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABUSE NEWS, Reporting and News - International, What You Can Do

Fast fashion isn’t just cheap—it’s costing children their childhoods. From cotton fields to perfume flowers to luxury jewelry, kids are working long hours in dangerous conditions so brands can protect profits. Learn how the fashion industry still relies on child labour and what you can do to stop it.

Details
Logo for Kara, Kids at Risk Action organization.

KARA’s Invisible Children Traveling Community Conversations

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, KARA News and Events, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Life would be better for abused and neglected children if more people truly understood what they face—and what we can do to help. This coming fall and winter, KARA is inviting universities, community centers, and businesses to engage our INVISIBLE CHILDREN Community Conversations.
This traveling program is available to organizations, colleges/universities, and community venues within an hour’s drive of the Twin Cities metro and is designed to create awareness and solutions for at risk children and families in Minnesota.

Details
A girl with messy hair looks worried beside a chalkboard with writing.

Join KARA’s Children’s Crusade: Making Life, Liberty, and Happiness Real for Abused and Neglected Children

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, What You Can Do

KARA’s Children’s Freedom Crusade uses a Fourth of July freedom theme to demand real life, liberty, and happiness for abused and neglected children—and to build a national, child first movement that puts their safety and healing first.

Details
A colorful figure behind window bars in a sketch style.

What Happens When Foster Teens Get Punished Instead of Treated? A CASA’s View From the Front Line

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, Reporting and News - MN Specific

A CASA guardian ad litem shares what it is like to advocate for a deeply traumatized 14 year old foster boy when there is no safe housing or mental health care available. The system that removed him for his safety is now steering him toward adult court and prison, not healing. We can change that.

Details
Logo for Invisible Children, raising awareness for abducted kids.

Self-Destructive Habits of Institutions

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Protection, Guest Posts, Public Policy

Using KARA’s friend Ned’s “backwards car” analogy, this post explains how Child Protective Services is structured to protect its own bureaucracy rather than children. Conflicts of interest, secrecy, and missing metrics mean CPS often produces what it was designed to stop. The fix starts with transparency and informed legislators.

Details
Logo of Kara, an organization for kids at risk action.

Building KARA’s National Child Abuse Data & Solutions Platform: Why We Need Your Help

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, What You Can Do

KARA is at a turning point. After 25 years of telling the hard truths about abused and neglected children, Kids At Risk Action is launching an AI‑driven National Child Abuse Data and Solutions Platform and a college‑intern network to make hidden trauma visible, connect data to real solutions, and support CASA and child‑advocacy programs nationwide. We’re asking donors and those with donor‑advised funds to partner with us so this platform can reach at‑risk children and families, frontline workers, and policymakers who need better information to protect kids.

Details
Black T-shirt with bold white text promoting kids' voices.

Leadership and Child Protection

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Children's Rights, Featured Articles, Public Policy

Child Protective Services exists to protect children, yet recent investigations show children being tortured, brutalized, and even murdered while known to CPS. Leadership that values efficiency over child safety is failing its mission. CASA’s “For the Child” model shows what child centered leadership should look like—and why urgent change is needed to stop preventable child deaths.

Details
Children of diverse backgrounds holding hands around Earth.

Kudos to Wisconsin for Tracking Child Death and Egregious Harm

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Reporting and News - MN Specific, The States

Wisconsin’s public website for child death and egregious CPS incidents shows what honest tracking can look like. Minnesota’s Safe Passage child fatality report revealed children murdered by caregivers while known to CPS, but near deaths and egregious harm are still invisible. Until we count those cases, Minnesota will continue to tolerate extreme child abuse as a hidden human rights violation.

Details
Sign advocating for social justice and children's rights.

Only One Country Denies Children Basic Rights: The United States

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Children's Rights, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, Mikes Favorite Posts, Reporting and News - International, What You Can Do

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. Every other nation has agreed that children have basic rights to safety, health, education, voice, and protection from exploitation and extreme punishment. The U.S. has never ratified it.

Details
Silhouette filled with negative self-descriptive words representing low self-esteem.

Why Every State Needs a Foster Led Child Welfare Promise

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based, Their stories

The Minnesota Promise Report is a foster led blueprint for changing how states treat children in CPS and foster care. It combines listening sessions, data, and bold ideas from Fosters themselves to define what it would mean for a state to truly keep its promise to children. Sharing this report with colleagues and state representatives is one way to support Foster Advocates—and to spark similar efforts across the country.

Details
Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Child Abuse Prevention In America (videos & articles)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Reporting and News - US Based

KARA reports on the issues of at risk children by curating a wide lens on child abuse and child protection. This post pulls together recent coverage from newspapers, universities, public health departments, UNICEF, the White House, and frontline advocates around National Child Abuse Prevention Month. You’ll see how childhood verbal abuse carries an estimated $300 billion global economic burden, how violence and neglect are rising in communities from Erie County to the Sahel, and how leaders are calling for better collaboration, stronger families, and more transparent systems to protect children. At the heart of the post is a simple call to action: choose one KARA podcast, article, or video that speaks to you and send it to your state representative or county commissioner, joining a growing movement to give voice to voiceless children.

Details
Person peeking through a torn cardboard hole with visible eyes and hands.

Best and Worst States for Very Young Children in CPS: New Data on Risk, Failures, and Hope

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Guest Posts, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based, RESEARCH

This article uses NCANDS data to identify the best and worst states for very young children in CPS, highlighting where infants and toddlers face the greatest risk of severe harm or death and how troubled, overwhelmed child protection systems are struggling with heavy caseloads and too few resources. It points lawmakers, advocates, and communities toward more transparent CPS reporting, stronger early childhood support, and data driven reforms that can actually protect kids and support families.

Details
Close-up of a child's face with braided hair and intense eyes.

Childhood Trauma and Lifelong ACES Impact

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - US Based

Children’s mental health crisis post COVID is no longer invisible. California’s Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris has declared adverse childhood experiences a public health threat, while foster children across the nation are being overprescribed psychotropic drugs and suicide has become the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24. In Minnesota and beyond, emergency rooms are filling with suicidal children because there are too few pediatric mental health beds, rural facilities are closing, and communities fight against group homes instead of embracing trauma informed care. At the same time, teachers are leaving the classroom in high numbers as ACES driven violence and chaos make schools feel more like mental health wards than places of learning. This KARA post brings together data, frontline stories, and policy examples—from New Jersey’s “Road Forward” plan to the federal Mental Health Services for Students Act—to show how deeply our systems are failing abused and traumatized children, and why embracing early intervention, honest reporting, and real support for educators, families, and kids is critical now.

Details
A young boy holds a red paper heart against his chest.

Fixing CPS – (35 Minute Podcast)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, PODCAST & STREAMING, Reporting and News - US Based, The States

For a Deeper Dive on this or other topics, hit the DEEP DIVE button on the lower right corner of this page. This conversation about how the safety and wellbeing of abused and neglected children is directly tied to measuring child outcomes within the system. The lack of institutional transparency being discussed in West Virginia…

Details
A woman in vintage attire stands by a softly lit wall, wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

2 year-old Lylah Koob’s Death & Why (from the Safe Passage Report)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Their stories

This is one of the 88 stories of children dying at the hands of their caregivers reported in the recent Safe Passage For Children investigation of child death in Minnesota. The report suggests why this tragedy is happening in our state and how we can make life safer for at risk children (in the read more at the end of the article). Lylah Koob, Goodhue County

Details
Two hands gently holding each other in a comforting gesture.

2 Year-Old Sophia O’Neill Death & Why (from the Safe Passage Investigative Report)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Reporting and News - US Based, Their stories

This is one of the 88 stories of children dying at the hands of their caregivers reported in the recent Safe Passage For Children investigation of child death in Minnesota. The report suggests why this tragedy is happening in our state and how we can make life safer for at risk children (in the read more at the end of the article). Please share this with your contacts and State Representative. Sophia O’Neill, Hennepin County

Details
Sign advocating for social justice and children's rights.

International Rights of the Child Treaty (& why jails are full)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Children's Rights, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, Mikes Favorite Posts, Reporting and News - International

Over 25 years ago the rest of the world (194 nations) decided that children have basic human rights and begin signing the International Rights of the Child Treaty. Under this document, children are to have the rights to education, safety and well being including not to be made soldiers, not to be enslaved).

America is the only nation that has not signed that agreement, largely because we still demand that southern states continue to militarize youth as young as eleven, through military schools.

Details
Indoor party with toddler and adults

Adoption & Foster Care In America – (their stories, your state)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - US Based

Foster Care; Every state is struggling to make life safe for traumatized state ward children. Here are their stories from October & November 2017;

KS: Nowhere Else to Go: Why Kids Are Sleeping in Child Welfare Offices (Commentary)

Governing – October 11, 2017

Every month, there are kids in Kansas forced to sleep on cots or couches in a foster care contractor’s office because they don’t have anywhere else to stay that night.

All Adults Are The Protectors of All Children

Details
Bar chart showing annual public spending per child on early childhood care by country.

Politics & Children – A Zero Sum Game

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Day Care and Education, Reporting and News - US Based

A recent MN Governor ended subsidized daycare in the state – the waiting list went from 34 families to 7000.

At the time, two percent of MN children were enrolled in high quality early childhood education programs- the national average was 25% and MN had the lowest rate among the 38 states that offer the programs.

Cutting the pie smaller for children is destructive, leads to failing students and schools, troubled communities, and the highest crime rates in the industrialized world.

Details
Silhouettes of people standing on a gun barrel.

Arming Teachers/Shooting Students (advocating for less violence and a more civil society)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Featured Articles, Gun Violence and Control, Mikes Favorite Posts

After the COVID19 lockdowns are lifted, and children and teachers return to the the classroom after months of fear and isolation, wouldn’t it be wonderful if students and teachers do not have to replace the daily fear of a virus with the daily fear of violence? 

What can the community do to make that happen?

How many teachers have combat training or signed up to pack a weapon when they entered the profession?  Turnover in education is already a huge problem.  Packing a gun is what police and soldiers do. Shooting someone takes training – shooting the right person takes extensive training.  For decades now, guns have been more often used for suicide than self-defense in America.  This is true also for domestic violence.

Details
Empty swing hanging in a dark, moody playground at night.

Childhood Trauma Is a War Injury: How ACEs Rewire the Brain and Fuel Crime

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, childabuse, Featured Articles, Mikes Favorite Posts, Reporting and News - US Based

Childhood trauma and Post‑Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in war veterans look different on the surface—but biologically, they are strikingly similar. We accept that a soldier torn apart by bullets or standing next to a friend killed by a bomb will carry invisible brain injuries. Yet we still struggle to see how growing up in a violent, chaotic, or deeply neglectful home can damage a child’s brain in many of the same ways.

Details
A red background with white text reading 'The Age of Mass Incarceration'.

The Real Cost of Child Maltreatment, CPS, and Recidivism

childabuse, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics

Child maltreatment does not end when a CPS case is closed. The same children who enter child protection often show up later in juvenile justice and adult prison, driving recidivism rates of 70–80% and an estimated cost of more than $1.3 million per child. These numbers expose a foster care‑to‑prison pipeline and a massive misuse of public funds—money that could instead be invested in proven early childhood and trauma‑informed programs that break the cycle of abuse, crime, and incarceration.

Details
Close-up of a child's face with braided hair and intense eyes.

Misconceptions About CPS and Child Welfare: What the Research Really Shows

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, childabuse, Guest Posts

Child Protective Services (CPS) is one of the most criticized institutions in our communities, yet much of what people believe about CPS simply isn’t true. Research summarized by Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota and child welfare scholars debunks common myths about surveillance bias, racial disparities, poverty versus neglect, the effectiveness of evidence‑based treatments, and the impact of foster care on children’s lives. This post highlights what the data actually show and why understanding these misconceptions is crucial for building more child‑centric policies, supporting stressed CPS workers, and protecting abused and neglected children more effectively.

Details
Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

Why America’s Child Protection System Is Failing—and How to Fix It

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, childabuse, Children's Rights, Featured Articles, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - US Based

America’s Child Protection System is producing the very harms it was meant to prevent: overflowing prisons, broken families, unsafe classrooms, and communities overwhelmed by untreated trauma. This post explains how secrecy, extreme caseloads, deregulation, and our refusal to recognize children’s rights have hollowed out CPS—and lays out four practical steps toward real reform: radical transparency, safe caseloads, rebuilt legal protections, and child‑centered laws that treat children as rights‑holders, not afterthoughts.

Details
A woman with a serious expression holds up her hand as a stop gesture.

When Is Child Abuse a Crime

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Child self harm and suicide, Children's Rights, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Child abuse in the home is still too often treated as a private family issue instead of a crime. Drawing on years as a CASA guardian ad Litem, this post exposes how Child Protective Services keeps abuse hidden, why children have no standing in court, and what must change so kids are truly safe in their own homes.

Details
Child trapped in a pill bottle with scattered capsules.

KARA Digital Toolkit: Free and Low Cost Tech for Traumatized Children and Teens

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, What You Can Do

KARA’s Digital Toolkit brings together free and low cost apps, trainings, and tech tools that help abused and neglected children cope with trauma and behavior problems. These resources are designed to support—not replace—professional care and can be shared with youth, caregivers, schools, and advocates.

Details
Two children playing outside near a brick building and wooden door.

How Foster Care and Group Homes Fail America’s Most Troubled Children

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, Public Policy, Statistics

Foster care and group homes are supposed to protect our most troubled children, but for many they become another source of trauma. Youth in care face unstable placements, high rates of mental illness, overrepresentation in group homes, and far greater odds of homelessness, exploitation, and incarceration when they age out.

Details
Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

How Alcohol, Drugs, and Poverty Drive Child Abuse: From Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to Criminal Neglect

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, childabuse, Education, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics

Parental alcohol and drug abuse, especially in the context of poverty, is one of the strongest drivers of child abuse and neglect. From fetal alcohol spectrum disorders that injure children before birth to criminalized meth labs and chronic neglect, substance use reshapes a child’s brain, home, and future. This post explains how addiction, poverty, and policy collide to harm children — and why real solutions must treat substance use as both a child protection and public health crisis.

Details
A woman with a serious expression holds up her hand as a stop gesture.

“Safety” at Home, Rape in Secret: The Long Shadow of Caregiver Sexual Abuse

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

Sexual abuse of a child is rarely a single “incident” or the act of a stranger in the dark; for many children, it is years of rape by the caregivers who are supposed to protect them. Most child sex abuse occurs in the home. This CASA Guardian ad Litem has experience two four-year-olds coming into…

Details
Logo for Kara, Kids at Risk Action organization.

America’s Child Abuse Emergency: 546,000 Victims, 2,000 Deaths, and a System That Chooses This

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics, Stunning Statistics, The States

Child abuse in the United States is not rare or random — it is the predictable outcome of policy choices. In 2023, about 546,000 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect and an estimated 2,000 were killed, roughly five children every day. Most are hurt by their own parents, often after prior contact with Child Protective Services. These numbers vary wildly by state, proving that our systems can choose to protect children — or not.

Details
Close-up of an eye with braided hair strands.

What School Counselors Can Do: Protect, Heal, and Empower Children

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child self harm and suicide, childabuse, Day Care and Education, Education, Reporting and News - US Based, What You Can Do

School counselors are often the only adults who truly see what traumatized students are living through. This article explains how trauma informed school counseling can spot abuse and adversity early, lead school wide change, coordinate crisis response, connect families to community support, and sustain counselors doing this work. With real world stories and a curated resource list, it’s a practical guide for counselors supporting students impacted by trauma and adverse childhood experiences.

Details