Over the years, I have authored more than 10 books and published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious SCORPUS international journals, along with numerous research studies, publications and reports.
A selection of my published works is available below for free download and sharing.
Child Rights
Policy Research on Children Deprived of Liberty in the Administration of Justice in South Asia
The Policy Research on Children Deprived of Liberty in the Administration of Justice in South Asia is the first of its kind as comprehensive research on children deprived of liberty in South Asia. The research is conducted to assess the amplitude of the occurrence of children deprived of liberty and the administration of justice in South Asian countries. It was based on the UN Study on Children Deprived of Liberty that provides an overview of the situation of children deprived of liberty worldwide and sets out clear recommendations for change and includes positive examples from a range of countries.
Violence against Children:
Chapter: Violence Against Chidren in the Asia Pacific Region
19-21 October 2016
Considerable progress has been made in recognizing, exploring, understanding and responding to widespread violence against children (VAC) in the Asia Pacific region in 10 years since the United Nations Report on Violence against Children 2006 first provided a first-ever global status report on the overall situation, causes and effects of this phenomenon in various settings. Although today we know more about violence in the lives of children and the numerous global, regional and national policies and initiatives at different levels to combat it, unfortunately the scourge of VAC still continues, often unabated and with impunity.
Mapping Alternative Learning Approaches, Programmes and Stakeholders in Malaysia
In Malaysia there are many stakeholders - including Government agencies, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), corporates, foundations, faith-based agencies, communities and individuals providing alternative learning opportunities for refugee, undocumented and stateless children who do not have access to formal government schools. To date there has been no comprehensive mapping of all these alternative learning centres (ALCs) or community learning centres (CLCs) in order to better understand the context in which basic education is provided to these children – including the management, financing, roles and responsibilities. It is also unclear to what extent these stakeholders are able to provide quality education; how conducive is the learning environment; what curriculum is being used; how are teachers trained; how are the learning centers financed; accreditation and certification; student enrolment, etc.
Hence, a mapping of approaches, programmes and stakeholders was felt necessary and a good starting point to understand better the provision of alternative education for children not accessing public education.
Child Labor and Human Rights
The International Labor Organization estimated in 2000 that, of the approximately 246 million children engaged in labor worldwide, 171 million were working in situations harmful to their
development. Child Labor and Human Rights provides a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon of child labor from a human rights perspective.
The authors consider the connections between human rights and abusive child labor, the pros and cons of a rights-based approach to the problem, and specific strategies for effecting
change. They make an indispensable contribution to the growing effort to abolish abusive and exploitive child labor practices.
Children - The Forgotten Victims
Globalisation is not only about economics. While economic relationships between countries is the key determinant, globalisation is a phenomenon characterised by a variety of other
factors – including politics, information and technology, culture and social relations. It is important to understand the politics that determines globalisation and the inequality that
exists among countries as they are all drawn into the process of globalisation.
There is still a lack of critical research as well as concrete practical experiences the link between macro-economics and child rights. This is particularly important in the area of
child labour, as working children are more directly linked to the market and micro and macro economic relations within and between countries.
The significance of an economic crisis lies in its ability to roll back decades and years of progress and development in a country. An economic crisis is both structural and endemic
to the present global paradigm.
Working Children as Change-Makers:
Child labor is rooted in poverty. A complex problem that must be viewed against the complex macroeconomic and social backdrop of development, it is the clearest and worst manifestation
of how poverty has a child’s face. It is often also an elusive cross-border issue that requires cross-border agreements, legislation, and interstate cooperation to combat it effectively,
especially in its most sensitive worst forms which are commonly hidden and clandestine because they are linked to criminal cross-border trafficking, illegal drug trade, and armed
conflict. Child labor is a dehumanizing phenomenon that harms children’s bodies and minds, their spirits and future, a prison that withers both capabilities and potential.
In sum, child labor needs to be understood and acted upon in all its complexities. No simple or unilateral approaches that are confined primarily to the area of employment or the
labor market will lead to its elimination. It is this challenge that confronts us, especially in the application of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
relative to child labor and even more especially in the application of 1999 ILO Convention (No. 182) Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child
Labor (ILO C182).
Children as Partners:
The International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD)
All children meaningfully participate at times without the assistance of others. However, children’s participation often requires entering into a relationship with other children, adults, or institutions. This holds as true for child participation in conferences as it does for family, school, and community development policy discussions and projects. Key to these relationships is a sense of partnership, particularly those that involve shared power and decision-making, whether it be with other children, adults, or institutions. Thus, the title of this report: Children as Partners (CAP).
Development Studies School Handbook and Brochure
Historical Documentation
As development in Thai society evolved over the past decades, the emergence of the 'Religio-Cultural Approach' that was formulated by the Diocesan Social Action Centre (DISAC) Chiang Mai during the period 1976 to 1980 has showed how indigenous knowledge, local wisdom and community experience can contribute to sustainable development of the poor and vulnerable communities in Thailand. This approach was first discussed during a National-level Seminar on 'Community Culture and Development' organised by the Catholic Council of Thailand for Development (CCTD) held at the Sawankanivat Centre, Samut Prakarn in 1981. Participants included NGOs, academics, Christian priests, religious communities, Buddhist monks and others.
English Thai
Peasant Protest and Rural Elite Strategies in Asia
This work is a contribution to an ongoing Third World debate on the role of peasants and peasant movements in rural development. The present study was actually intended to be a sequel to my first publication, "The History of Peasant Movements in Thailand and the Philippines", Plough Publications, Hong Kong, 1984, when I began to document and study the history of peasant movements in India and Sri Lanka. In the course of this work, my involvement with peasant organizations in these two countries, as well as continued contact with the peasant movement in the Philippines, stimulated me to document the emerging struggles of the peasants in these countries. Through this experience I was led into new areas of inquiry, and the peasants and peasant leaders with whom I interacted during this period urged me to carry forward their own struggle by broadening the scope of my study. This thesis is, therefore, the end result of this process.
Poems of My Life
A poignant reminiscence of a collection of poems written by my dear brother – Ravindra Karunan – who passed away suddenly on 27 July 2020 following a tragic accident in Bangalore, India. RIP
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