Ongoing project

Falling Through the Net

Understanding the exploitation of children in transit so that we may better understand how and why it occurs and what steps will be required to close those gaps in the present.

Project summary

The Challenge

The exploitation of children who move across borders still occurs after over a century of international activism and philanthropy.

The Approach

The research focuses on three case studies, featuring the historical movement of children across borders and movement caused by climate change.

The Outcome

The research will uncover the ideas, practices and contexts that foster and facilitate the exploitation of children on the move.

The Challenge

Despite over a century of international activism and philanthropy intended to prevent the exploitation of children who move across borders, such exploitation still occurs. This cluster allows us to examine the dynamics that not only facilitated but may in some cases have encouraged such exploitation to take place.

The Approach

The research was led by PhD candidates James Baker, Jasmine Holding Brown and Saphia Fleury. and the supervisors were Dr Judith Spicksley, Professor Trevor Burnard and Dr Nick Evans.

The cluster explores three case studies of children who were moved across borders. Two involve the organised movement of children to new homes in Canada and Australia early in the twentieth century, while the other considers the plight of children forced to leave their country by environmental change.

A historical photograph of a group of children in transit

The Impact

Children have a unique set of rights, agreed by international convention. In considering where, when and how gaps in protection for children who are moved across borders have arisen, this cluster will help us uncover the ideas, practices and contexts that foster and facilitate the exploitation of children on the move, so that we can have a better understanding of how and why it occurs, and what measures will need to be taken to close those gaps today.