Introduction

This study aims to examine the attainment of rights and needs of adolescents during the war following the October 7th 2023 terror attack on Israel. A normative analysis of the human rights of children and youth, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), was integrated with an empirical examination of children’s rights and needs attainment. Committed to a children’s rights epistemology, the empirical examination is based on children’s own reports. Additional aims were to explore whether gaps existed between the adolescents’ perspectives and those of their parents, and across demographic groups (using Hebrew and Arabic surveys).

Methods

A novel questionnaire was developed based on key children’s rights detailed in the CRC and organized according to the “Three P’s” classification: protection (whether children are safe from harm), provision (continuity and equality in public services), and participation (children’s access to safe information, participation in decision-making, privacy, and freedom of expression). Data were collected in Hebrew from 359 adolescent-parent dyads between May and July 2025. In a second wave, data were collected in Hebrew and Arabic from additional samples of adolescents (n = 101; n = 24) between August and September 2025. A mixed-methods approach was employed to analyze the quantitative data, alongside qualitative analysis of text responses to open-ended questions.

Results

Protection: while basic safety seems to be maintained for adolescents, exposure to violence, mainly verbal, in schools was noted. Among responders to the Arabic survey, higher percentages of verbal assault at home were reported. Fear of “the other” emerges as a significant theme in text responses. Provision: education continuity is challenged, with Arab schools showing more stability Participation: Arabic-speaking adolescents report feeling less free to express their opinions. Parents were reported as a central source of safe information for adolescents, mainly in the Hebrew surveys. Text responses highlight the need of some to “talk more” and “be heard more” despite their young age.

Discussion

By employing an interdisciplinary framework that combines a normative rights-based analysis with an empirical examination of children’s reports on the attainment of their rights and needs, this study contributes to the broader understanding of how war impacts adolescents, emphasizing often-overlooked areas such as freedom of speech, equality, access to safe information, and participation. Findings highlight the impacts of prolonged war on the sense of safety beyond immediate needs.

Objective

This study investigated the role of nontypical development in the relative dominance in twins' relationships throughout childhood.

Background

Dominance dynamics, affecting siblings' well-being, are different in twins than in singletons for whom age and development often dictate sibling hierarchy. These dynamics in twins, who share similar ages and developmental contexts, remain underexplored and demand further understanding.

Method

A longitudinal study surveyed 1,547 mothers and 536 fathers of 322 monozygotic (sharing nearly 100% genes) and 1,199 dizygotic (sharing 50% genetic variance) twin pairs, aged 3 to 8–9. Both parents reported on the twins' relationships. Mothers reported whether either twin had a developmental condition.

Results

No dominance difference was found in similar developmental conditions dyads, whether both twins had typical or nontypical development. However, in dyads where twins differed in the developmental condition, nontypically developing twins were less dominant than their typically developing cotwins. This dominance imbalance persisted throughout childhood, even if initial developmental issues were resolved.

Conclusion

From parents' perspectives, nontypical development does not, in itself, prevent children from demonstrating dominance behaviors in twinship, but it is more likely that the asymmetry in developmental conditions is associated with the relationship between the twins.

Implications and Recommendations

According to parents' perceptions, twins with nontypical development might experience imbalances in their relationship throughout childhood when their co-twin is a typically developing child. However, demonstrating dominance might be possible for them in other contexts. Understanding these dominance dynamics is vital for caregivers, informing tailored parenting strategies and interventions to support the well-being of children.