Children's rights

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Not to be confused with Youth rights.
Rights
Theoretical distinctions
Human rights
Rights by beneficiary
Other groups of rights

Children's rights or the rights of children are a subset of

race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability, color, ethnicity
, or other characteristics.

Interpretations of children's rights range from allowing children the capacity for autonomous action to the enforcement of children being physically, mentally and emotionally free from

adolescents", "teenagers", or "youth" in international law,[4] but the children's rights movement is considered distinct from the youth rights movement. The field of children's rights spans the fields of law, politics, religion, and morality
.

Justifications

Merida, Mexico

[There] is a mass of human rights law, both treaty and 'soft law', both general and child-specific, which recognises the distinct status and particular requirements of children. [Children], owing to their particular vulnerability and their significance as the future generation, are entitled to special treatment generally, and, in situations of danger, to priority in the receipt of assistance and protection.

— Jenny Kuper,
Clarendon Press
)

As

social workers, teachers, youth workers, and others, are vested with that authority, depending on the circumstances.[5] Some believe that this state of affairs gives children insufficient control over their own lives and causes them to be vulnerable.[6] Louis Althusser has gone so far as to describe this legal machinery, as it applies to children, as "repressive state apparatuses".[7]

Structures such as government policy have been held by some commentators to mask the ways adults abuse and exploit children, resulting in child poverty, lack of educational opportunities, and child labour. On this view, children are to be regarded as a minority group towards whom society needs to reconsider the way it behaves.[8]

Researchers have identified children as needing to be recognized as participants in society whose rights and responsibilities need to be recognized at all ages.[9]

Historic definitions of children's rights

Pharaoh's daughter having pity on baby Moses in the floating basket. (The Hebrew babies had been ordered killed by her father.)

Sir William Blackstone (1765-9) recognized three parental duties to the child: maintenance, protection, and education.[10]
In modern language, the child has a right to receive these from the parent.

The League of Nations adopted the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1924), which enunciated the child's right to receive the requirements for normal development, the right of the hungry child to be fed, the right of the sick child to receive health care, the right of the backward child to be reclaimed, the right of orphans to shelter, and the right to protection from exploitation.[11]

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) in Article 25(2) recognized the need of motherhood and childhood to "special protection and assistance" and the right of all children to "social protection".[12]

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959), which enunciated ten principles for the protection of children's rights, including the universality of rights, the right to special protection, and the right to protection from discrimination, among other rights.[13]

Consensus on defining children's rights has become clearer in the last fifty years.[14] A 1973 publication by Hillary Clinton (then an attorney) stated that children's rights were a "slogan in need of a definition".[15] According to some researchers, the notion of children's rights is still not well defined, with at least one proposing that there is no singularly accepted definition or theory of the rights held by children.[16]

race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability, color, ethnicity, or other characteristics, and; health care and advocacy.[17]

Classification

Children have two types of

sexual exploitation, and the right to education.[2]

Children's rights are defined in numerous ways, including a wide spectrum of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. Rights tend to be of two general types: those advocating for children as autonomous persons under the law and those placing a claim on society for protection from harms perpetrated on children because of their dependency. These have been labeled as the right of empowerment and as the right to protection.[16]

United Nations educational guides for children classify the rights outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child as the "3 Ps": Provision, Protection, and Participation.[20] They may be elaborated as follows:

  • Provision: Children have the
    schooling
    .
  • Protection: Children have the right to protection from abuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination. This includes the right to safe places for children to play; constructive child rearing behavior, and acknowledgment of the evolving capacities of children.
  • Participation: Children have the right to participate in communities and have programs and services for themselves. This includes children's involvement in libraries and community programs, youth voice activities, and involving children as decision-makers.[21]

In a similar fashion, the

Child Rights International Network (CRIN) categorizes rights into two groups:[22][23]

juvenile justice, orphans and abandoned children, refugees, street children and corporal punishment
.

Scholarly study generally focuses children's rights by identifying individual rights. The following rights "allow children to grow up healthy and free":[according to whom?][24]

Physical rights

A report by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health, and Sustainable Development of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe identified several areas the Committee was concerned about, including procedures such as "female genital mutilation, the circumcision of young boys for religious reasons, early childhood medical interventions in the case of intersex children and the submission to or coercion of children into piercings, tattoos or plastic surgery".[25] The Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution in 2013 that calls on its 47 member-states to take numerous actions to promote the physical integrity of children.[26]

Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child enjoins parties to "take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation".

inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" to extend to children, including corporal punishment of children.[29]

Newell (1993) argued that "...pressure for protection of children's physical integrity should be an integral part of pressure for all children's rights."[30]

The Committee on Bioethics of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (1997), citing the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), asserts that "every child should have the opportunity to grow and develop free from preventable illness or injury."[31]

Intersex rights

medical falsification
for intersex children, from textbook 1963.
Main articles:
Intersex genital mutilation

Intersex children are children born or develop, atypical

stigmatization, as well as isolation for having atypical bodies, or undergoing medical procedures.[32][34]

The World Health Organization standard of care for intersex children is to delay all surgery until the child is old enough to participate in informed consent, unless emergency surgery is needed.[35][36] Intersex people are likewise more likely to develop gender dysphoria then the general population. Organizations such as InterACT and intersex civil society groups exist to support and advocate for intersex youth, and stop involuntary unnecessary medicalization and shame surrounding intersex subjects.[32][37]

Other issues

Other issues affecting children's rights include the

sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
.

Difference between children's rights and youth rights

Main article: Youth rights

In the majority of jurisdictions, for instance, children are not allowed to vote, to marry, to buy alcohol, to have sex, or to engage in paid employment.

youth rights movement, it is believed that the key difference between children's rights and youth rights is that children's rights supporters generally advocate the establishment and enforcement of protection for children and youths, while youth rights (a far smaller movement) generally advocates the expansion of freedom for children and/or youths and of rights such as suffrage
.

Parental powers

See also: Parents' rights movement

Parents are given sufficient powers to fulfill their duties to the child.[10]

Parents affect the lives of children in a unique way, and as such their role in children's rights has to be distinguished in a particular way. Particular issues in the child-parent relationship include child neglect, child abuse, freedom of choice, corporal punishment and child custody.[39][40] There have been theories offered that provide parents with rights-based practices that resolve the tension between "commonsense parenting" and children's rights.[41] The issue is particularly relevant in legal proceedings that affect the potential emancipation of minors, and in cases where children sue their parents.[42]

A child's rights to a relationship with both their parents is increasingly recognized as an important factor for determining the

rebuttable presumption that shared parenting is in the best interests of children.[43]

Limitations of parental powers

Parents do not have absolute power over their children. Parents are subject to criminal laws against abandonment, abuse, and neglect of children. International human rights law provides that manifestation of one's religion may be limited in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.[19][44]

Courts have placed other limits on parental powers and acts. The Supreme Court of the United States, in the case of Prince v. Massachusetts, ruled that a parent's religion does not permit a child to be placed at risk.[45] The Lords of Appeal in Ordinary ruled, in the case of Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority and another, that parental rights diminish with the increasing age and competency of the child, but do not vanish completely until the child reaches majority. Parental rights are derived from the parent's duties to the child. In the absence of duty, no parental right exists.[46][47] The Supreme Court of Canada ruled, in the case of E (Mrs) v Eve, that parents may not grant surrogate consent for non-therapeutic sterilization.[48] The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled, in the case of B. (R.) v. Children's Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto:[49]

While children undeniably benefit from the Charter, most notably in its protection of their rights to life and to the security of their person, they are unable to assert these rights, and our society accordingly presumes that parents will exercise their freedom of choice in a manner that does not offend the rights of their children.

Adler (2013) argues that parents are not empowered to grant surrogate consent for non-therapeutic circumcision of children.[47]

Movement

Main article: Children's rights movement
See also: Timeline of young people's rights in the United Kingdom and Timeline of young people's rights in the United States

The 1796 publication of

public education. The 1927 publication of The Child's Right to Respect by Janusz Korczak strengthened the literature surrounding the field, and today dozens of international organizations are working around the world to promote children's rights. In the UK the formation of a community of educationalists, teachers, youth justice workers, politicians and cultural contributors called the New Ideals in Education Conferences[50] (1914–37) stood for the value of 'liberating the child' and helped to define the 'good' primary school in England until the 80s.[51]
Their conferences inspired the UNESCO organisation, the New Education Fellowship.

A.S. Neill's 1915 book A Dominie's Log (1915), a diary of a headteacher changing his school to one based on the liberation and happiness of the child, can be seen as a cultural product that celebrates the heroes of this movement.[citation needed]

Opposition

The opposition to children's rights long predates any current trend in society, with recorded statements against the rights of children dating to the 13th century and earlier.

national sovereignty, states' rights, the parent-child relationship.[55] Financial constraints and the "undercurrent of traditional values in opposition to children's rights" are cited, as well.[56] The concept of children's rights has received little attention in the United States.[57]

International human rights law

Further information: International child abduction
Main article: Declaration of the Rights of the Child

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is seen as a basis for all international legal standards for children's rights today. There are several conventions and laws that address children's rights around the world. A number of current and historical documents affect those rights, including the Declaration of the Rights of the Child,[11] drafted by Eglantyne Jebb in 1923, endorsed by the League of Nations in 1924 and reaffirmed in 1934. A slightly expanded version was adopted by the United Nations in 1946, followed by a much expanded version adopted by the General Assembly in 1959. It later served as the basis for the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The United Nations adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1966. The ICCPR is a multilateral international covenant that has been ratified or acceded to by nearly all nations on Earth. Nations which have become state-parties to the Covenant are required to honor and enforce the rights enunciated by the Covenant. The treaty came into effect on 23 March 1976. The rights codified by the ICCPR are universal, so they apply to everyone without exception and this includes children. Although children have all rights, some rights such as the right to marry and the right to vote come into effect only after the child reaches maturity.[19]

Some general rights applicable to children include:

  • the right to life
  • the right to security of person
  • the right to freedom from torture
  • the right to freedom from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
  • the right to be separated from adults when charged with a crime, the right to speedy adjudication, and the right to be accorded treatment appropriate to their age[19]

Article 24 codifies the right of the child to special protection due to his minority, the right to a name, and the right to a nationality.[19]

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Main article: Convention on the Rights of the Child

The United Nations' 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, or CRC, is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Its implementation is monitored by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. National governments that ratify it commit themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights, and agree to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community.[58] The CRC is the most widely ratified human rights treaty with 196 ratifications; the United States is the only country not to have ratified it.[59]

The CRC is based on four core principles: the principle of non-discrimination; the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and considering the views of the child in decisions that affect them, according to their age and maturity.

Rwanda Tribunals, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, is said to have significantly increased the profile of children's rights worldwide.[61]

Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action

The

sale of children and organs, child prostitution, child pornography, and other forms of sexual abuse.[62] This influenced the adoptions of Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
.

Enforcement

A variety of enforcement organizations and mechanisms exist to ensure children's rights. They include the Child Rights Caucus for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children. It was set up to promote full implementation and compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to ensure that child rights were given priority during the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children and its Preparatory process. The United Nations Human Rights Council was created "with the hope that it could be more objective, credible and efficient in denouncing human rights violations worldwide than the highly politicized Commission on Human Rights." The NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child is a coalition of international non-governmental organizations originally formed in 1983 to facilitate the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

National law

Many countries around the world have children's rights ombudspeople or children's commissioners whose official, governmental duty is to represent the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individual citizens regarding children's rights. Children's ombudspeople can also work for a corporation, a newspaper, an NGO, or even for the general public.

United States law

Further information: Timeline of young people's rights in the United States, International child abduction in the United States, and Child labor laws in the United States

The United States has signed but not ratified the CRC. As a result, children's rights have not been systematically implemented in the U.S.

Children are generally afforded the basic rights embodied by the Constitution, as enshrined by the

US Supreme Court decision of In re Gault (1967). In this trial 15-year-old Gerald Gault of Arizona was taken into custody by local police after being accused of making an obscene telephone call. He was detained and committed to the Arizona State Industrial School until he reached the age of 21 for making an obscene phone call to an adult neighbor. In an 8–1 decision, the Court ruled that in hearings which could result in commitment to an institution, people under the age of 18 have the right to notice and counsel, to question witnesses, and to protection against self-incrimination. The Court found that the procedures used in Gault's hearing met none of these requirements.[64]

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in the case of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) that students in school have Constitutional rights.[65]

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled in the case of Roper v. Simmons that persons may not be executed for crimes committed when below the age of eighteen. It ruled that such executions are cruel and unusual punishment, so they are a violation of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution.[66]

There are other concerns in the United States regarding children's rights. The American Academy of Adoption Attorneys is concerned with children's rights to a safe, supportive and stable family structure. Their position on children's rights in adoption cases states that, "children have a constitutionally based liberty interest in the protection of their established families, rights which are at least equal to, and we believe outweigh, the rights of others who would claim a 'possessory' interest in these children." Other issues raised in American children's rights advocacy include children's rights to inheritance in same-sex marriages and particular rights for youth.

German law

A report filed by the President of the INGO Conference of the Council of Europe, Annelise Oeschger finds that children and their parents are subject to United Nations, European Union and UNICEF human rights violations. Of particular concern is the German (and Austrian) agency, Jugendamt (German: Youth office) that often unfairly allows for unchecked government control of the parent-child relationship, which have resulted in harm including torture, degrading, cruel treatment and has led to children's death. The problem is complicated by the nearly "unlimited power" of the Jugendamt officers, with no processes to review or resolve inappropriate or harmful treatment. By German law, Jugendamt (JA) officers are protected against prosecution. JA officers span of control is seen in cases that go to family court where experts testimony may be overturned by lesser educated or experienced JA officers; In more than 90% of the cases the JA officer's recommendation is accepted by family court. Officers have also disregarded family court decisions, such as when to return children to their parents, without repercussions. Germany has not recognized related child-welfare decisions made by the European Parliamentary Court that have sought to protect or resolve children and parental rights violations.[67]

See also

Global children's rights

Issues

Main article: Index of children's rights articles
Further information: Index of youth rights–related articles

Children's rights organizations

Further information: List of children's rights organizations
Further information: Category:Children's rights organizations

References

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  2. ^ a b Convention on the Rights of the Child, G.A. res. 44/25, annex, 44 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 167, U.N. Doc. A/44/49 (1989), entered into force Sept. 2 1990.
  3. ^ Bandman, B. (1999) Children's Right to Freedom, Care, and Enlightenment. Routledge. p 67.
  4. ^ "Children and youth", Human Rights Education Association. Retrieved 2/23/08.
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  7. ^ Jenks, C. (1996) "Conceptual limitations," Childhood. New York: Routledge. p 43.
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  15. doi:10.17763/haer.43.4.e14676283875773k. Archived from the original
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  29. ^ UN Human Rights Committee (1992) "General Comment No. 20". HRI/GEN/1/Rev.4.: p. 108
  30. doi:10.1163/157181893X00368
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  32. ^ a b c Alice D. Dreger; April M. Herndon. "Progress and Politics in the intersex rights movement, Feminist theory in action" (PDF).
  33. ^ "What's the history behind the intersex rights movement? | Intersex Society of North America". isna.org.
  34. ^ "The Mental Health and Well-being of LGBTQ Youth who are Intersex" (PDF). The Trevor Project. 2021.
  35. ^ FACT SHEET Intersex
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  49. ^ B. (R.) v. Children's Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto. [1995] 1 S.C.R.
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  64. ^ In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1 (1967).
  65. ^ Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969).
  66. ^ Roper v. Simmons, 543 U. S. 551 (2005).
  67. ^ League for Children's Rights Archived 2021-10-03 at the Wayback Machine Individual UPR Submission: Germany. February 2009. Submitted by Bündnis RECHTE für KINDER e.V. and supported by President of the INGO Conference of the Council of Europe, Annelise Oeschger. Retrieved December 27, 2011.

External links

Bibliography

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