HAQ is not an academic institution, but research forms the bedrock of our advocacy work, because  good and strategic advocacy needs evidence that is empirical, authentic and credible. Indeed, research should lay the foundation for holisitic knowledge on which true action should be based.

HAQ’s research and documentation efforts are directly linked to its aim of building a holistic understanding of Child Rights and exploring areas of concern that affect children and their rights. In this endeavour HAQ attempts to fill the gaps in existing information, collating such information, and creating a data and information base for advocacy, training and capacity building of various stakeholders and public education.

HAQ undertakes research and documentation on its own, as well as on request from others such as UNICEF-India, Government fo India and other national as well as international organisations. Based on our work, we have also developed handbooks/ users's manuals/toolkits.

In the 10 years of HAQ’s existence, we have undertaken research and documentation on a range of child rights issues including child labour, child trafficking, forced child begging, juvenile justice, children in disasters, children's right to adequate and secure housing and elementary education.

To support HAQ's governance work, we undertake  budget analysis from a child rights perspective, parliament watch, and status reports on India’s children on  a regular basis.

All these initiatives complement each other to present a comprehensive understanding on child rights in India and implementation of government’s political commitments to the country’s children in the contemporary social and economic contexts.

HAQ’s budget analysis work has been used by the government to institutionalize their child budgeting efforts and the status reports are in high demand among government as well as other agencies working on children’s issues.