Jonathan Todres

Verified

Jonathan verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

Verified

Jonathan verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

• J.D.
• Professor (Full) at Georgia State University

Although the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, children’s rights are still seen in many circles as novel and quaint ideas but not serious legal theory. The reality, however, is that the realization of children’s rights is vital not only for childhood but for individuals’ entire lives....

Human trafficking is big business, with industry estimates running in the billions of dollars annually. Much of that profit accrues to traffickers, illegal profiteers, and organized crime groups. However, the private sector also reaps economic benefits, directly and indirectly, from human trafficking. Despite these economic realities, the dominant...

Human trafficking, a gross violation of human rights and human dignity, has been identified by numerous government leaders as one of the priority issues of our time. Legislative efforts over the past decade have produced a patchwork of criminal laws and some assistance programs for victims. There is no evidence, however, that these efforts have red...

Popular portrayals of human trafficking matter. They shape the prevailing understanding of the issue, which in turn influences the law and policy developed to address human trafficking. This essay examines the interplay between law and culture, specifically cinematic expressions. It reviews three well-known films on human trafficking and explores s...

In recent years, major natural disasters — ranging from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to the 2010 Haiti earthquake — have challenged the global community to ensure the survival and well-being of millions of individuals under the most difficult circumstances. Each of these natural disasters has created crisis spots with huge numbers of displaced ind...

Civic engagement is central to democracy, yet historically and today, the United States has excluded certain groups and denied them their participation rights. Even where there has been progress toward inclusion, young people have been largely excluded from meaningful participation in their communities. While there are historical and developmental...

Civic engagement is central to democracy, yet historically and today, the United States has excluded certain groups and denied them their participation rights. Even where there has been progress toward inclusion, young people have been largely excluded from meaningful participation in their communities. While there are historical and developmental...

Importance The US faces a pivotal moment of opportunity and risk regarding issues affecting children (aged 0-17 years). Although the US remains the only United Nations member state to not have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a child rights framework is essential for child health professionals seeking to advance many issues...

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) requires States Parties to take all appropriate measures to implement the rights in the Convention. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Convention's adoption, focus has shifted onto the measures being taken at national level to give effect to children's rights with specific refe...

Though many now reject the notion that bullying is a rite of passage, bullying persists as part of life in the way that poverty does—it is widespread, inflicts immediate and long-term adverse consequences, and often disproportionately affects marginalized children. From educational disruptions to mental health harms, the impact of bullying can alte...

Discussions about the impact of COVID-19 on children have primarily centered around disruptions in education. Some students are approaching a year since they have been in the classroom, and the challenges and inequities of virtual learning are well documented. But as momentum and planning for reopenings have grown, an issue continues to be overlook...

Over seven decades have passed since the end of the Second World War, but the trauma from the cruelest war in human history continues today, perpetuated by denial of responsibility for the war crimes committed and unjust attempts to rewrite history at the expense of dignity, life, and justice for the victims of the most serious human rights violati...

Although the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, children’s rights still meet resistance in some circles, from policymakers to certain parents. Yet the fulfillment of children’s rights is vital not only during childhood but also for the rest of an individual’s life. One of the most...

Since the advent of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child ("CRC"), the international community has witnessed significant progress on children's rights in both law and practice. Yet as we reach the 30th anniversary of the CRC, children's rights violations remain widespread. These abuses reinforce the fact that children's rights-and human ri...

Violence against children is a global problem. More than half of the world’s children experienced violence in the past year. Children are subjected to violence in a broad array of spaces, ranging from illicit enterprises such as child trafficking, to labor exploitation, to corporal punishment in schools, to maltreatment in the home. Children’s righ...

Since launching his presidential campaign, Donald Trump's rhetoric has often been divisive as well as demeaning of selected groups. This article examines the impact of Trump's rhetoric on children and their communities and explores the role that human rights education can play in responding to Trump and forging broader support for human rights. The...

Efforts to address child trafficking require intensive collaboration among professionals of varied disciplines. Healthcare professionals have a major role in this multidisciplinary approach. Training is essential for all professionals, and policies and protocols may assist in fostering an effective, comprehensive response to victimization.

Background Health care professionals and patients are partners in health care delivery, and this partnership is critical in the treatment of adolescents. International children's rights law establishes that all children have a right to participate in decisions that affect their lives. Fulfillment of that right is as critical in health care settings...

There is growing recognition and evidence that health care professionals regularly encounter - though they may not identify - victims of human trafficking in a variety of health care settings. Identifying and responding appropriately to trafficking victims or survivors requires not only training in trauma-informed care but also consideration of the...

Child trafficking is a significant public health problem in the United States and globally. Despite substantial efforts to respond to human trafficking over the past 15 years, there is still relatively little known about its prevalence and effective ways to prevent, identify, and respond to it. There is limited evidence on risk factors (from retros...

There is growing recognition and evidence that health care professionals regularly encounter—though they may not identify—victims of human trafficking in a variety of health care settings. Identifying and responding appropriately to trafficking victims or survivors requires not only training in trauma-informed care but also consideration of the leg...

There is growing recognition and evidence that health care professionals regularly encounter-though they may not identify-victims of human trafficking in a variety of health care settings. Identifying and responding appropriately to trafficking victims or survivors requires not only training in trauma-informed care but also consideration of the leg...

Long tolerated as a rite of passage into adulthood, bullying is now recognized as a major and preventable public health problem. The consequences of bullying—for those who are bullied, the perpetrators of bullying, and the witnesses—include poor physical health, anxiety, depression, increased risk for suicide, poor school performance, and future de...

Once thought of as primarily a criminal justice issue, human trafficking is now recognized an issue that implicates all sectors of society. Trafficked individuals have been identified in a breadth of industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, construction, mining, fisheries, forestry, health care, hospitality and tourism, domestic service, r...

On November 20, 2014, the global community will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most comprehensive international legal instrument on children’s rights. The United States, Somalia, and South Sudan are the only countries that have not ratified the treaty. This article discusses the treaty and the...

If they think about it at all, most people in the United States probably imagine that commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children and adolescents are problems primarily affecting other parts of the world; in reality, these crimes occur in this country every day. These abuses have physical and mental health consequences that are b...

The law, and more generally the prevailing construct of childhood, envisions children foremost as part of a family. Indeed, the family has been recognized under international law as “the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children.” Although there is consensus o...

Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the U.S. is an often overlooked, misunderstood, and unaddressed problem. The victims and survivors of these crimes face immediate and long-term social, legal, and health consequences. However, few professionals and systems that are responsible for protecting and serving children are ad...

Human trafficking, a gross violation of human rights and human dignity, has been identified by numerous government leaders as one of the priority issues of our time. Legislative efforts over the past decade have produced a patchwork of criminal laws and some assistance programs for victims. There is little or no evidence to suggest that these measu...

In this short article, the authors examine the problem of human trafficking and its impact on the State of Georgia. The article reviews relevant federal and state law. It then explores ways in which attorneys can play constructive roles across various sectors of society in order to help strengthen initiatives to prevent human trafficking and ensure...

This Essay responds to an article by Hila Shamir previously published in the UCLA Law Review, in which she suggests that human rights has failed as a framework for addressing human trafficking and that instead a labor model would be more successful. Although her article identifies potentially important benefits of a labor perspective, the binary fr...

Across numerous areas of the law—including family law, criminal law, labor law, health law, and other fields—when children are involved, maturity determinations are pivotal to outcomes. Upon reaching maturity, however defined, an individual has access to a range of rights not previously available and is expected to fulfill certain duties. Despite t...

Ensuring the well-being of all children is one of the great challenges of our time. Despite concerted efforts in the United States to protect children, research reveals that millions of children suffer harm each year. Frequently, when policymakers and child advocates speak of “child protection,” they focus primarily on abuse and neglect in the home...

More than a decade has passed since the international community formally launched the modern movement to combat human trafficking with the adoption of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. Nearly 150 count...

The January 2010 earthquake in Haiti created a major humanitarian crisis for all of Haiti’s population, not least for its children. The devastation resulting from any large scale natural disaster raises numerous children’s rights issues. Immediately following the Haiti earthquake, however, public attention focused largely, and selectively, on only...

As the world's sole superpower and one of only two countries that has not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the United States holds a unique position in the children's rights movement. It is arguably best positioned of any country to ensure the rights and well-being of children globally, yet it has not supported – and at...

In the United States, discussions regarding adolescent health, particularly in the political and legal arenas, frequently focus on one of two issues: abortion and medical decision making. These are important issues that merit considered attention, but there is much more to adolescent health. Many other issues — ranging from violence to substance us...

This chapter examines the issue of trafficking through the lens of a human rights approach. It argues that human rights, when fully implemented, provide a foundation to strengthen communities and reduce the vulnerability of children to sex trafficking. The chapter calls on governments and civil society to focus on rights that can further the goal o...

This article reviews recent developments in health care law, focusing on the engagement of law as a partner in health care innovation. The article addresses: the history and contents of recent United States federal law restricting the use of genetic information by insurers and employers; the recent federal policy recommending routine HIV testing; t...

Millions of children are victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation each year. Governments have responded with a range of measures, focusing primarily on seeking to prosecute perpetrators of these abuses and offering assistance to select victims. These efforts, while important, have done little to reduce the incidence of these forms...

This article examines the potential implications of U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on the health and well-being of children in the United States. The article reviews the relevant provisions of the CRC and U.S. law, along with the health status of U.S. children. It finds that ratification could le...

Millions of children around the world wish most of all for the chance at an education. Their thirst for education is so great that when barriers such as school fees have been removed in some countries, school populations surge almost overnight. Unfortunately, tens of millions of children face considerable obstacles in attempting to realize their ri...

Despite concerted efforts to combat human trafficking, the trade in persons persists and, in fact, continues to grow. This article suggests that a central reason for the limited success in preventing human trafficking is the dominant conception of the problem, which forms the basis for law developed to combat human trafficking. Specifically, the au...

With the publication of the Carnegie Foundation’s 2007 report on legal education, law schools are focused again on curriculum reform. The Carnegie report highlighted a number of important issues, one of which is the need to improve the teaching of lawyering skills. This article takes up one subset of the skills package of lawyers – transactional la...

The global AIDS pandemic has left more than fifteen million children orphaned. These children constitute one of the most vulnerable populations, yet their situation has received relatively little scrutiny from legal scholars. This Article intends to fill that void by explicating the experience of children orphaned by AIDS, situating it in the broad...

In 2005, international health law issues continued to demand increasingly more attention from governments, international organizations, the private sector, and the general public. Public health concerns, such as HIV/AIDS and avian influenza, demonstrate both the far-reaching effects of public health emergencies and the need for coordinated multilat...

The medical malpractice liability system is blamed for everything from the high cost of health care to quality assurance issues. This Article suggests that that one of the problems with the current approach to medical malpractice is that legal remedies for medical error are not viewed as part of the continuum of care. Thus, a new model - driven by...

International law has long prohibited sex trafficking. The current international legal framework on sex trafficking sets forth a three-pronged approach to anti-trafficking efforts: (1) criminalization of acts of trafficking, (2) trafficking prevention programs, and (3) aid for victims of trafficking. To date, efforts undertaken by various countries...

This article explores the connections between women's rights and children's rights and suggests ways in which they can complement each other thereby furthering the rights of both groups. The author begins by examining the special case of girls' rights, as girls are vulnerable to exploitation as children and are also subject to the prejudicial pract...

Birth registration, the official recording of a child's birth by a government agency, is one of the most important events in a child's life. Birth registration establishes the existence of the child under law and provides the foundation for ensuring many of the child's rights. Although birth registration alone does not guarantee that a child will h...

The establishment of the World Trade Organization and the growing movement toward a global free trade system present new opportunities for the United States and its citizens. Yet despite being one of the driving forces behind this push toward free trade and the removal of all barriers with respect to the trading of goods, the United States continue...

In 1998, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unexpectedly announced that it was calling off the maternal-child HIV transmission clinical trials in developing countries, stating that it was satisfied with the results from the drug trial in Thailand. The announcement brought to an abrupt end a clinical trial that was ongoing in eleve...

The commercial sexual exploitation of children is a global human rights abuse that has devastating effects on millions of children who are victims of the sex trade. A significant aspect of the problem is the rapidly growing sex tourism industry, in which thousands of men travel each year to developing countries and engage in illegal sexual acts wit...