[Comment] A call for coordinated and evidence-based action to protect children outside of family care
Source: The Lancet
A caring and protective family, immediate and extended, is central to effective child protection. Children in the most dire straits, however, live without protective family care. These children may be found living on the streets or in institutions, trafficked, participating in armed groups, or exploited for their labour. Children in such circumstances often experience abuse, neglect, lack of stimulation, and extreme and toxic stress, all of which have a profoundly negative effect on a child's development and adult outcomes.