Current research interests:
Implementation of Children’s Rights Law
Human Rights Education/Children’s Rights Education
Youth participation
Public Health Approaches to Human Trafficking
Legal and Cultural Constructs of Childhood
Publications
Works in Progress
I am currently working on a number of specific projects covering a variety of topics, including: human rights education and the arts; using data analytics to assess children’s rights law implementation; children’s constitutional rights in the United States; children and disasters; and children’s rights and child development.
Specific forthcoming publications include:
Children’s Rights and Children’s Development: An Integrated Approach (forthcoming with NYU Press, January 2025) (with Ursula Kilkelly)
“Bringing the Right to Education into the 21st Century,” Berkeley Journal of International Law (forthcoming Spring 2024) (with Charlotte S. Alexander)
“Sport as a Space for Human Rights Education and Children’s Rights,” Human Rights Education Review (forthcoming Winter 2024) (with Ursula Kilkelly)
Books
Children and the Law: Doctrine, Policy, and Practice (8th edition, West Academic Press, forthcoming July 2024) (with Douglas E. Abrams, et al.)
The Oxford Handbook of Children’s Rights Law, Oxford University Press, 2020 (co-edited with Shani King)
Preventing Child Trafficking: A Public Health Approach, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019 (co-authored with Angela Diaz)
Human Rights in Children's Literature: Imagination and the Narrative of Law (Oxford University Press, 2016) (co-authored with Sarah Higinbotham)
The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: An Analysis of Treaty Provisions and Implications of U.S. Ratification (Brill Academic Publishers, 2006) (co-edited with Mark Wojcik and Cris Revaz)
Book Chapters and Other Collected Works
“Incorporating the CRC and Its Optional Protocols in the United States.” In Incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in National Law, edited by Ursula Kilkelly, Laura Lundy, and Bronagh Byrne, Intersentia, pp. 123-143, 2021.
“Children and Disasters: The Essential Role of Children’s Rights Law.” In Yearbook of International Disaster Law, vol 2, edited by Giulio Bartolini, Dug Cubie, Marlies Hesselman & Jacqueline Peel, Brill/Nijhoff, pp. 177-203, 2021.
“Children’s Right to Participate: Insights from the Story of Malala.” In Literary Cultures and Twenty-First Century Childhoods, edited by Nathalie op de Beeck, Palgrave, 2020
“Violence, Exploitation, and the Rights of the Child” In International Human Rights of Children, edited by Ursula Kilkelly & Ton Liefaard, Springer, 2018.
“Confronting Child Exploitation: The Optional Protocols and the Role of Children’s Rights Law.” In Violence against Children: Making Human Rights Real, (Gertrud Lenzer ed., New York: Routledge, 2018).
“Article 8: Preservation of a Child’s Identity” in The Convention on the Rights of the Child: A Commentary, edited by John Tobin, Oxford University Press, 2019 (co-authored with John Tobin)
“Children’s Rights and Women’s Rights: Interrelated and Interdependent.” In Handbook of Children’s Rights: Global and Multidisciplinary Perspectives (Martin Ruck, Michele Peterson-Badali, and Michael Freeman, eds., New York: Routledge, 2017).
“Health and Human Rights” in Oxford Bibliographies (Public Health) (David McQueen ed., Oxford University Press, January 2014; revised edition 2017)
“At the Crossroads: Children’s Rights and the U.S. Government” in Human Rights in the United States: Beyond Exceptionalism (Shareen Hertel & Kathryn Libal eds., Cambridge University Press, 2011)
"A Human Rights Approach to Preventing Sex Trafficking of Children” in Child Slavery Now: A Contemporary Reader (Gary Craig ed., Policy Press, 2010)
Book voted joint winner of the Most Important Book of the Year by Policy Press, February 2011 (The award is given to the book which could make the biggest contribution to positive social change)
“Analyzing the Opposition to U.S. Ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child” in The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: An Analysis of Treaty Provisions and Implications of U.S. Ratification (Jonathan Todres, Mark Wojcik & Cris Revaz eds., Brill Academic Publishers, 2006)
“The Right to Health under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child” in The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: An Analysis of Treaty Provisions and Implications of U.S. Ratification (Jonathan Todres, Mark Wojcik & Cris Revaz eds., Brill Academic Publishers, 2006)
“The Optional Protocols to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Impact of U.S. Ratification” in The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: An Analysis of Treaty Provisions and Implications of U.S. Ratification (Jonathan Todres, Mark Wojcik & Cris Revaz eds., Brill Academic Publishers, 2006) (coauthored with Cris Revaz)
“What the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child Says (and Doesn’t Say) about Abortion and Family Planning” in The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: An Analysis of Treaty Provisions and Implications of U.S. Ratification (Jonathan Todres, Mark Wojcik & Cris Revaz eds., Brill Academic Publishers, 2006) (coauthored with Louise Howe)
“Overview” in The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: An Analysis of Treaty Provisions and Implications of U.S. Ratification (Jonathan Todres, Mark Wojcik & Cris Revaz eds., Brill Academic Publishers, 2006) (coauthored with Mark Wojcik and Cris Revaz)
Scholarly articles in peer review and law journals
“Deprivation of Liberty as a Last Resort: Understanding the Children’s Rights Law Mandate for Youth Justice,” Stanford Journal of International Law, 60: 1-27 (2024) (with Lauren Meeler)
“Confronting Categorical Exclusions Based on Age: The Rights of Children and Youth,” Harvard Human Rights Journal, 36: 283-297 (2023)
“Youth Voice Matters: The Critical Nature of Youth Participation in Achieving the Right to a Healthy Environment,” Northeastern Law Review, 15(2): 763-777 (2023)
“Children’s Rights as a Unifying Framework to Remedy Our Failing Youth Justice System,” Pediatric Research (Online first July 28, 2023; Print forthcoming) (with Elizabeth Barnert et al.)
“A Rights-Based Assessment of Youth Participation in the United States,” Temple Law Review, 95(3): 411-455 (2023) (with Charlene Choi and Joseph Wright)
“Age Discrimination and the Personhood of Children and Youth,” Harvard Human Rights Journal Online (Dec. 2022)
“Reimagining Children’s Rights in the United States,” JAMA Pediatrics (published online Oct. 24, 2022, doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.38222022; print forthcoming) (with Elizabeth Barnert, et al.)
“Children’s Rights and Human Rights Education through Museums,” Boston University Public Interest Law Journal, 31(3): 239-274 (2022) (co-authored, with Anissa Malik)
“Advancing Children’s Rights through the Arts,” Human Rights Quarterly, 44(1): 38-55 (2022) (co-authored with Ursula Kilkelly)
“Work-Life Balance and the Need to Give Law Students a Break,” University of Pittsburgh Law Review Online, 83(5): 1-13 (2022)
Book Review. “A Magna Carta for Children? Rethinking Children’s Rights, Michael Freeman (Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2020).” Ethics & International Affairs, 35(4), 581-583 (Winter 2021) (invited submission)
“Evaluating the Implementation of Human Rights Law: A Data Analytics Research Agenda,” University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law (forthcoming Fall 2021) (co-authored with Charlotte S. Alexander)
“Can Litigation Help Reduce Bullying?” JAMA Pediatrics 176(1): 18-19 (Online first Oct. 11, 2021; Print Jan. 2022) (invited submission)
“Confronting Housing Insecurity—A Key to Getting Kids Back to School,” JAMA Pediatrics 175(9): 889-890 (2021) (with Lauren Meeler)
“The Fallacy of Contract in Sexual Slavery: A Response to Ramseyer’s ‘Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War’,” Michigan Journal of International Law 42(2): 291-319 (2021) (co-authored with Yong-Shik Lee and Natsu Saito)
“Confronting Child Trafficking,” Indiana Health Law Review 18(1): 95-106 (2021).
“COVID-19 and Human Trafficking—The Amplified Impact on Vulnerable Populations,” JAMA Pediatrics (online Sept 21, 2020; print Feb. 2021) (co-authored with Angela Diaz).
“The Trauma of Trump’s Family Separation and Child Detention Actions: A Children’s Rights Perspective,” Washington Law Review 95: 377-427 (2020) (co-authored with Daniela Villamizar Fink)
“Making Children's Rights Widely Known,” Minnesota Journal of International Law, 29(1): 109-149 (2020)
“Foreword: Preventing Human Trafficking,” Georgia State University Law Review, 36(4): vi-xiii (2020)
"The Trump Effect, Children, and the Value of Human Rights Education," Family Court Review, 56(2): 331-343 (2018).
Child Trafficking: Issues for Policy and Practice, Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, 46(1): 159-163 (2018) (co-authored with Jordan Greenbaum and Katherine Yun)
Adolescents’ Right to Participate: Opportunities and Challenges for Health Care Professionals, Annals of Global Health, 83:697-703 (2017) (co-authored with Angela Diaz)
"The Complexities of Conducting Research on Child Trafficking," JAMA Pediatrics, 171(1): 9-10 (2017) (co-authored with Leslie Wolf)
"Physician Encounters with Human Trafficking: Legal Consequences and Ethical Considerations," AMA Journal of Ethics, 19(1): 16-22 (2017)
“Bullying Prevention: A Summary of the Report of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,” Prevention Science, 17: 1044-1053 (2016) (co-authored with Daniel J. Flannery, Catherine P. Bradshaw, et al.)
"Can Mandatory Reporting Laws Help Child Survivors of Human Trafficking?," Wisconsin Law Review Forward 2016: 69-78 (2016).
"Human Trafficking and Film: How Popular Portrayals Influence Law and Public Perception," Cornell Law Review Online, 101: 1-24 (2015).
"Advancing Children’s Rights and Ensuring the Well-Being of Children," JAMA Pediatrics, 169(1): 5-6 (January 2015)
"Responding to the Sexual Exploitation of Minors," New England Journal of Medicine, 370(14): 1282-1283 (April 3, 2014) (co-authored with Ellen Wright Clayton)
"A Child Rights Framework for Addressing Trafficking of Children," Michigan State International Law Review, 22: 557-593 (2014)
"Independent Children and the Legal Construction of Childhood," Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, 23: 261-304 (2014)
"A Person’s a Person: Children’s Rights in Children’s Literature," Columbia Human Rights Law Review, 45: 1-56 (2013) (co-authored with Sarah Higinbotham)
"Human Rights, Labor, and the Prevention of Human Trafficking: A Response to A Labor Paradigm for Human Trafficking," UCLA Law Review Discourse, 60: 142-158 (2013)
"The Elephant in the Playroom: The U.S. Government’s Role in Advancing Children’s Rights," PlayRights Magazine, 1(13): 23-25, 35-36 (International Play Association, 2013)
"Assessing Public Health Strategies for Advancing Child Protection: Human Trafficking as a Case Study," Journal of Law and Policy, 21: 93-112 (2012)
"Maturity," Houston Law Review, 48: 1107-1165 (2012)
"The Private Sector’s Pivotal Role in Combating Human Trafficking," California Law Review Circuit, 3: 80-98 (2012)
"Mainstreaming Children’s Rights in Post-Disaster Settings," Emory International Law Review, 25: 1233-1261 (2011)
"Beyond the Bedside: A Human Rights Approach to Adolescent Health," Journal of Law and Policy, 20: 191-229 (2011)
"Widening Our Lens: Incorporating Essential Perspectives in the Fight against Human Trafficking," Michigan Journal of International Law, 33: 53-76 (2011)
"Moving Upstream: The Merits of a Public Health Law Approach to Human Trafficking," North Carolina Law Review, 89: 447-506 (2011)
"A Child Rights-Based Approach to Reconstruction in Haiti," Intercultural Human Rights Law Review, 6: 43-86 (2011)
"Accounting for Haiti’s Children after the Earthquake: Immediate Needs with Lifelong Consequences," American Society of International Law Proceedings, 104: 122-125 (2011)
"Taking Prevention Seriously: Developing a Comprehensive Response to Child Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation," Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 43: 1-56 (2010)
"Out of Africa: Reading Martin Chanock’s Scholarship in the Global North," Law in Context 28(2): 47-59 (2010), reprinted in For Martin Chanock: Essays on Law and Society (Stephen Ellmann, Heinz Klug, & Penelope Andrews, eds. 2012)
"Children’s Health in the United States: Assessing the Potential Impact of the Convention on the Rights of the Child," Child Welfare, 89(5): 37-56 (2010)
"Recent Developments in Health Care Law: Partners in Innovation," HealthCare Ethics Committee Forum, 22: 85-116 (2010) (co-authored with Roberta Berry et al.; authored “Children’s Health Rights and the "Double Burden of Disease” section)
"Law, Otherness, and Human Trafficking," Santa Clara Law Review, 49: 605-672 (2009)
"Beyond the Case Method: Teaching Transactional Law Skills in the Classroom," Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 37(2): 375-379 (2009)
"Inextricably Linked: An International Human Rights Perspective on Child Health and Education," Childhood Education, 85: 278-282 (June 2009)
"Rights Relationships and the Experience of Children Orphaned by AIDS," U.C. Davis Law Review, 41: 417-476 (2007)
"Toward Healing and Restoration for All: Reframing Medical Malpractice Reform," Connecticut Law Review, 39: 667-737 (2006)
"The Importance of Realizing “Other Rights” to Prevent Sex Trafficking," Cardozo Journal of Law & Gender, 12: 885-907 (2006)
"Women’s Rights and Children’s Rights: A Partnership with Benefits for Both," Cardozo Women’s Law Journal, 10: 603-624 (2004)
"Birth Registration: An Essential First Step Toward Ensuring the Rights of All Children," Human Rights Brief, 10(3): 32-35 (Spring 2003)
"Can Research Subjects of Clinical Trials in Developing Countries Sue Physician-Investigators for Human Rights Violations?," New York Law School Journal of Human Rights, 16: 737-768 (2000)
"Lessons from the Trade Arena: A Proposal to Change U.S. Immigration Law for the Benefit of U.S. Workers," San Diego International Law Journal, 1: 49-73 (2000)
"Prosecuting Sex Tour Operators in U.S. Courts in an Effort to Reduce the Sexual Exploitation of Children Globally," Boston University Public Interest Law Journal, 9: 1-23 (1999)
"Emerging Limitations on the Rights of the Child: The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and Its Early Case Law," Columbia Human Rights Law Review, 30: 159-200(1998)
Reprinted in Children’s Rights (Michael Freeman ed., Ashgate Publishing 2004)
Selected Shorter Publications
“US High-Level Office for Children is Critical for Children’s Rights,” Health and Human Rights Journal, Mar. 10, 2022 (with Miriam Abaya et al.),
"Human Trafficking and the Private Sector: A Role for Corporate Counsel," International Law News 42(4): 18-20 (ABA Section of International Law, Fall 2013)
"A Public Health Approach to Human Trafficking," Global Eye on Human Trafficking, 12: 10-11 (International Organization for Migration, April 2013)
"Human Trafficking: A Global Problem with a Local Impact," Georgia Bar Journal, 17: 12-19 (June 2012) (lead author, with Michael Baumrind)
"Family Integrity and Children’s Rights: A U.N. Convention Perspective," Human Rights, 36(3): 20 (Summer 2009)
"Lawyers and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," International Law News, 38: 12-13 (ABA Section of International Law, Winter 2009)
"Council of Europe Addresses Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children," International Law News, 37(2): 15-17 (ABA Section of International Law, Spring 2008)
"U.S. Is Sole Holdout over U.N. Child Advocacy Post," National Law Journal, Feb. 25, 2008, at S3
"International Health Law," International Lawyer, 41(2): 629-642 (2007) (lead author, with Laurel Hyle & Elizabeth Sepper)
"The U.S. View of the Convention on the Rights of the Child—Time for Reconsideration," Children’s Rights Litigation, 8(4): 1, 3-6 (Fall 2006) (lead author, with Howard Davidson)
"Human Rights, the Plight of Children Orphaned by AIDS, and the U.S. Response," International Law News, 35(3): 13-14 (ABA Section of International Law, Summer 2006)
"International Health Law," International Lawyer, 40: 453-466 (2006) (co-authored with Pamela Marcogliese & Laurel Hyle)
"Combating Trafficking of Persons," International Law News, 34(3): 1, 8-9 (Summer 2005)
Selected for and reprinted in the “Best of ABA Sections” issue of GPSolo, Vol 23 pp 36-37, 44 (Mar. 2006)
"Health Law Gets a More Global Focus," National Law Journal, July 4, 2005, at S1, S5
"International Health Law," International Lawyer, 39: 503-516 (2005) (co-authored with Pamela Marcogliese)
"International Human Rights," International Lawyer, 37: 597-608 (2003) (co-authored with Mark Wojcik et al.)
"Law Permitting World War II Slave Labor Victims to Sue Held Unconstitutional: Deutsch v. Turner Corp.," International Law News, 32(2): 22 (ABA Section of International Law, Spring 2003)
"The Challenge of Creating ‘A World Fit for Children’," Human Rights Brief, 10: 18-21 (Fall 2002)
"Extradition," New York State Bar Association’s “On the Case” Series (Nov. 15, 2002)
"UN Holds Special Session on Children," International Law News, 31: 6 (Summer 2002)
"ABA Takes Part in UN Special Session on Children," Family Advocate, 25: 45 (Summer 2002)
"The International Community’s 'Duty', rather than 'Right', to Intervene," Peace Matters 3: 9 (Hague Appeal for Peace, Jan. 2000)
Representative popular press articles and online essays
“Listening to Young People Could Help Reduce Pandemic-related Harms to Children,” The Conversation, June 2, 2022 (with Tammy Chang)
“Moving Beyond Siloes: The Urgent Need for an Integrated Approach to Children’s Rights and Well-Being,” Health and Human Rights Journal blog, Apr. 7, 2022
“A Healthier Legal Profession Starts with Law Schools,” Bloomberg Law Insights, Mar. 15, 2022
“R. Kelly Convicted, but Prevention of Human Trafficking Demands More,” Newsweek, Oct. 11, 2021
“Including Youth Voices in Our Democracy,” Human Rights at Home and First Focus, Aug. 2021 (with Adrianna Zhang)
“A Healthy Digital Environment for Children Means More than Protection,” Human Rights at Home and First Focus, Aug. 2021 (with Joseph Wright)
“Why Children Are an Overlooked Ally in the Fight Against Human Trafficking,” CNN, Mar. 11, 2020
“The Convention on the Rights of the Child Turns 30,” Human Rights at Home Blog, Nov. 19, 2020
“‘Harvesting’: Where Fiction Meets Children’s Rights Advocacy,” The Irish Times, Nov 27, 2018, https://bit.ly/2DK5evc (with Ursula Kilkelly)
“Universal Children’s Day: An Opportunity for Common Ground,” First Focus, Nov. 20, 2018
“The Convention on the Rights of the Child: Improving Children’s Lives,” Amnesty International UK, Nov. 20, 2017
“The Other Side of Othering,” Human Rights at Home Blog, Aug. 27, 2017
“The Long Game: Tolerance and Respect for One Another,” Human Rights at Home Blog, Feb. 1, 2017
“California Takes Step Toward Children’s Bill of Rights,” Human Rights at Home Blog, Dec. 20, 2016
“Atonement and Action for the Final 100 Days,” Human Rights at Home Blog, Oct. 6, 2016
“Independence Day: Freedom to….,” Human Rights at Home Blog, June 30, 2016,
“Summer, Play, and Human Rights,” Human Rights at Home Blog, June 1, 2016
“Why Bullying Needs More Efforts to Stop It,” The Conversation, May 10, 2016
“The Importance of Human Rights Education,” Human Rights at Home Blog, April 6, 2016
“Supporting Families’ Efforts to Advance Children’s Rights and Well-being,” Human Rights at Home Blog, Mar. 1, 2016
“Movies and Myths about Human Trafficking,” The Conversation, Jan. 20, 2016
“Building a Culture of Human Rights,” OUPblog, Dec. 15, 2015
“Making Universal Children’s Day Meaningful,” Human Rights at Home Blog, Nov. 19, 2015
“Legal Glitch Means Trafficking Transparency Law Isn’t So Transparent,” CNN.com, June 16, 2015
“The Portrayal of Rights in Children’s Literature Teaches Important Lessons,” New York Times, July 9, 2014
“The Value of the Human Rights Treaty Reporting Process,” Human Rights at Home Blog, July 2, 2014
“Human Rights and the Social Determinants of Health,” Health Law Prof Blog, May 28, 2014
“Tobacco Related Harms Extend to Children Who Harvest It,” Health Law Prof Blog, May 26, 2014
“Incorporating Experiential Learning in Health Law Courses,” Health Law Prof Blog, May 20, 2014
“Health Care and Human Trafficking,” Health Law Prof Blog, May 5, 2014
“Human Rights and Justice for Juveniles,” Human Rights at Home Blog, April 24, 2014
“Comparing Human Rights Practices,” Human Rights at Home Blog, Mar. 25, 2014
“Help Child Trafficking Victims among Us,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Oct. 18, 2013 (Op-Ed)
“Is law enforcement alone enough to reduce human trafficking?, The Great Debate: Human Trafficking,” The Morningside Post, Dec. 4, 2012
“Change Exploited Kid Laws,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 13, 2010 (Op-Ed)
“Root Out Child Trafficking with Prevention,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb. 24, 2010 (Op-Ed)
“Is There No Redemption for Children?,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nov. 6, 2009 (Op-Ed)
“Human Rights Are Fundamental to All,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dec. 24, 2008 (Op-Ed)