The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India is a non-fiction narrative account of one woman's efforts to make a difference to the lives of children in India. Having been deeply affected by her first trip to an orphanage in India, Shelley Seale has returned time and time again to this fascinating country, with each visit being primarily to assist the vulnerable children she has come to love. A work still in progress, we have permission from Shelley to provide a link to an exerpt from The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India.

Published annually by UNICEF, the State of the World's Children 2007 investigates the many aspects of discrimination faced by women throughout the globe, and what needs to be done to eliminate such discrimination. The main premise of the report argues investing in the lives of women equates to investing in the lives of the world's children.

Published by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre in Italy, Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Well-Being in Rich Countries gives a comprehensive analysis of children's well-being in Western economically advanced nations. Findings from the report suggest no one indicator of well-being is representative of the overall well-being of children in any nation. Perhaps most significantly, the findings also show the wealth of a nation cannot guarantee the well-being of its' children.

Recently launched by UNICEF, the report Breaking the Cycle of Exclusion. Roma Children in South East Europe, explores the serious discrimation, prejudice, social exclusion and poverty experienced by Roma - or "gypsy" - children, in eight South East European countries/states.

Slaves to the Goddess of Fertility is a BBC news article that explores the modern day situation of Devadasis - many of whom are teenagers, or who were dedicated to the goddess of fertility as young girls, effectively sealing their fate as 'santified prostitutes' in India. 

Published by the International Labour Organisation, The End of Child Labour: Within Reach  explores the situation of child labour throughout the globe, and explores the very real possibility the abolition of child labour is within reach - if we choose for it to be so.

While the efforts of international organisations to abolish child labour have resulted in many beneficial effects for children worldwide, there are countries around the globe where the plight of children is still dire. This series of BBC articles highlights the Desparate Plight of Nepal's 'Slave Girls', Haiti's Hidden Child Slaves, and India's children Bonded to the Sari Loom, and serves as reminder that child labour and effective slavery are still very much the reality for many children.

Although considered highly controversial, the report Little Children are Sacred outlines the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the protection of Aboriginal children from sexual abuse. Aboriginal people are the indigenous population of Australia, and face a variety of adverse factors, which may have some impact on the occurrence of child sexual abuse in some Aboriginal communities.