Children in highly developed countries suffer abuse and neglect much more often than is reported by official child-protective agencies, according to the findings of the first in a comprehensive series of reports on child maltreatment, published Dec. 2 in the British medical journal The Lancet. Based on a review of research conducted on child abuse between 2000 and June of this year, researchers estimate that 4% to 16% of children are physically abused each year in high-income ...

Young Rubina Ali's social diary has been more than full these past few months: a trip to Paris; a tea party in Westminster, London; a dance show in Hong Kong; product endorsements; and numerous trips in and out of India for award shows and to promote the Slumdog Millionaire child actor's autobiography, Slumgirl Dreaming. However, the school she attends in Mumbai along with her co-star Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail is not happy with her attendance or attitude. School ...

Like running backs and child actors, rappers usually do their best work in the first year or two of their careers. The inevitable decline is brought on not by bum knees or embarrassing arrests--in rap there's no such thing--but by something far more mundane: words. Jay-Z's aptly titled classic What More Can I Say is more than 800 words long, and when it's over, you know everything you could possibly need to know about him. Now multiply What More ...

The government has not had a lot of ideas for what to do about the nation's anemic job market, but there are troubling signs that one old idea is starting to reemerge: child labor. In the first part of the 20th century, there was a concerted effort to end the scourge of children working in factories and textile mills. But now there is a small but noticeable drive to weaken these protections. ...

What parent hasn't used candy to pacify a cranky child or head off a brewing tantrum? When reasoning, threats and time-outs fail, a sugary treat often does the trick. But while that chocolate-covered balm may be highly effective in the short term, say British scientists, it may be setting youngsters up for problem behavior later. According to a new study, kids who eat too many treats at a young age risk becoming violent in adulthood. The research ...

The Belgian Catholic Church must have felt it hit a nadir last year when it had to face harrowing revelations of rampant child sex abuse among its priesthood. However, the church's reputation is now at a new low, thanks to the ill-judged comments of the disgraced former Bishop of Bruges, who in April 2010 admitted to abusing his nephew. Belgians have been left in open-mouthed disbelief after the airing of a TV interview with Roger Vangheluwe in ...

A 9-year-old girl was laid to rest Wednesday as a 15-year-old girl, described as an acquaintance, was in court on charges she carried out the younger girl's murderOn Wednesday, Olten's family looked towards closure as two drastically different scenes unfolded in Missouri. Olten's family and friends watched as two white horses pulled her casket in a glass hearse. Hours earlier, a judge had ordered the 15-year-old suspect to be held while he decides whether she should be tried in adult ...

Law enforcement authorities have recovered 52 children and arrested 60 pimps allegedly involved in child prostitution, the FBI announced Monday.

Chinese authorities arrested dozens in an alleged child trafficking ring that sold at least 52 babies nationwide, state media said.

A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics indicates about 1 percent of children ages 3 to 17 have autism or a related disorder, an increase over previous estimates. "This is a significant issue that needs immediate attention," Dr. Ileana Arias, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. "A concerted effort and substantial national response is warranted." The study used data from the federal government's 2007 national survey of children's health. The survey of parents ...