Every day millions of children in developing countries face adversities of many kinds, yet there is a shortage of sound evidence concerning their plight and an urgent need to identify the most appropriate and effective policy responses from among the multiple approaches that exist. This collection of journal papers aims to engage with researchers and debates in the field so as to understand better some of the numerous risks confronted by children in developing countries. It highlights the complexity of protecting children in various forms of adversity, challenges conventional wisdom about what protects children, demonstrates why it is essential to consult with children to protect them successfully, and suggests that successful protection must be based on strong empirical understanding of the situation and the perspectives of children and communities involved.

The contributors are all experienced researchers and practitioners who have worked for many years with children in developing countries. The book offers suggestions for reform of current child protection policies, based on empirical findings around a range of child protection concerns, including children?s work, independent migration, family separation, early marriage, and military occupation. Together, the contributions provide a body of knowledge important to humanitarian and development policy and practice.

This book was published as a special issue of Development in Practice (volume 22, number 4) in May 2012.

Introduction: Development, children, and protection, William Myers and Michael Bourdillon
Beyond war: 'Suffering' among displaced Congolese children in Dar es Salaam, Gillian Mann
Protecting children from trafficking in Benin: In need of politics and participation, Neil Howard
The spatialisation of child protection: notes from the occupied Palestinian territory, Jason Hart
Following the law, but losing the spirit of child protection in Kenya, Elizabeth Cooper
Children's migration for work in Bangladesh: The policy implications of intra-household relations, Karin Heissler
Child protection and ?harmful traditional practices?: female early marriage and genital modification in Ethiopia, Jo Boyden, Alula Pankhurst and Yisak Tafere
Global priorities against local context: Protecting Bhutanese refugee children in Nepal, Roz Evans and Rachel Mayer
Rethinking orphanhood and vulnerability in Ethiopia, Gina Crivello and Nardos Chuta
Children's responses to risk in agricultural work in Andhra Pradesh, India, Ginny Morrow and Uma Vennam
'Risky Lives': Risk and protection for children growing-up in poverty, Kirrily Pells
Action research exploring information communication technologies (ICT) and child protection in Thailand, Philip Cook and Cheryl Heykoop
Child protection: A role for conditional cash transfer programmes?, Natalia Streuli
Listening to Iraqi refugee children in Jordan, but then what?, Martha Nelems and Vanessa Currie
Concluding Reflections: How might we really protect children?, William Myers and Michael Bourdillon

Child Protection in Development, edited by Michael Bourdillon and William E. Myers, ISBN: 9780415815093 (paperback)