A

• Affirmative action
  Affirmative action - or positive discrimination - aims to remove barriers that perpetuate discrimination.
• Age discrimination
  Most countries prohibit age discrimination against elderly people, yet few protect children in the same way.
• Albino children
  In some Central African countries, Albino children have been abducted and murdered for their body parts which some people believe can make them rich.
• Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOS)
  In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Anti-social Behaviour Orders may be imposed on people whose conduct is perceived as harmful or distressing.
• Appearance
  In some Central American countries children are discriminated against because of their appearance (e.g. way of dressing, tattoos and symbols)
• Association (freedom of)
  In many countries, young people are deterred from being in public spaces where adults are not.

B

• Birth registration
  The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled against the Dominican Republic for racial discrimination in access to nationality.
• Breech position
  In some communities in the Central African Republic, children who are born with their buttocks first may be subject to discrimination.
• Budgets
  Children's services are often allocated a smaller portion of the budget than the equivalent services catering for adults.

C

• Child labour
  Children are often denied the right to join a trade union where adults can, in Turkey, for example.
• Children born on an unlucky day
  In Madagascar the murder or rejection of children thought to be “born on an unlucky day” continues in some places.

D

• Dalit children
  Dalit is the name given to the group of people of South Asian descent traditionally regarded as ‘untouchables’ or of ‘low caste’.
• Definitions
  The most common definition of discrimination is that of the UN Human Rights Committee.
• Direct discrimination
  Direct discrimination occurs when someone is deliberately and unjustifiably treated less favourably than another person in a similar situation.
• Disability
  In some communities, parents who kill or allow their child to die often receive lower penalties if the child has a disability.
• Drug abuse
  In most countries, harm reduction services are not open to those under certain ages – 18 or, in the case of Sweden, 20.
• Drug use
  In many countries, there are age thresholds for participating in harm reduction interventions.

E

• Economic, social and cultural rights
  A UN Committee recently published guidance on discrimination and economic, social and cultural rights.
• Education
  Most countries are plagued by discriminatory education systems, disadvantaging those already suffering multiple forms of exclusion.
• Emergencies
  Emergencies magnify existing discrimination against vulnerable groups. All rights in the CRC apply in emergency situations.

G

• Girls
  In Iran the minimum age of criminal responsibility is 15 for boys, but 9 for girls.

H

• Honour killings
  The murder of a family member because they are perceived to have brought dishonour on the family

I

• Immigrant children
  Both 'legal' and undocumented immigrant children face discrimination
• Indirect discrimination
  Indirect discrimination results when a policy applies to everyone, but has an inadvertent, unfair impact on particular people
• Infanticide
  In India and China infanticide, the killing of a child under 12 months old, is commonly practised against girls
• Inter-sectional discrimination
  See multiple discrimination

J

• Juvenile justice
  In the USA, African Americans make up 16 per cent of the juvenile population, but 58 per cent of youth sentenced to prison are African American.

L

• Language
  Language can play a crucial role in reinforcing or challenging discrimination.
• Law
  Without laws that prevent discrimination, there may be no way to stop children from being treated unfairly.

M

• Media
  Media portrayal of children has a profound impact on attitudes to children and childhood.
• Monitoring and evaluation
  Monitoring and evaluation is essential for assessing whether a programme has been successful in bringing about a reduction in discrimination.
• Multiple discrimination
  Multiple discrimination occurs when someone is discriminated against on more than one ground.

N

• Non-discrimination
  The right to non-discrimination is an overarching principle of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

R

• Race
  In Ireland, almost all children who could not find elementary school places in a Dublin suburb were black
• Refugee children
  In Germany refugee children aged 16-18 do not benefit from the rights contained in the Youth Welfare Act.
• Religion or belief
  The UN Human Rights Committee has held that where a State party chooses to publicly fund religious schools, it should do so without discrimination.
• Roma children
  The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled against the Czech Republic for racial discrimination against Roma in the education system.

S

• Sexual identity and orientation
  The Yogyakarta Principles address discrimination against children on the basis of their, or their parent's, sexual orientation or identity.
• Stateless children
  A complaint is pending with the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child concerning stateless Nubian children in Kenya.
• Status offences
  Status offences encompass acts which would not be criminal if they were committed by adults.
• Street children
  Children living and/or working on the street face an increased threat of violence and detention

T

• Teenage parents
  In Uruguay, unmarried children under 18 cannot be registered as their child's parent. This rule does not apply to unmarried adults.
• Transgender children
  A recent court decision in Argentina authorised a minor to have gender reassignment surgery and have her birth certificate amended accordingly.
• Twins
  Children born as twins may be rejected among the Antambahoaka people in south eastern Madagascar.

V

• Violence
  In many countries, children do not enjoy equal legal protection with adults from violence.