A notable proportion of the persons living in situations of internal displacement in Africa are children. Despite the near-universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the ...wide ratification of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child among States in Africa, it is not clear the extent to which the ratification of these treaties has influenced the region’s legal framework for the protection and assistance of internally displaced children. This contribution addresses this issue through its analysis of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa from a children’s rights perspective. While the Convention does incorporate some principles of a children’s rights perspective, the analysis reveals that there are some inadequacies regarding the Convention’s overall incorporation of a children’s rights perspective. Based on the analysis, this contribution provides recommendations to use a children’s rights perspective to implement the Convention.
Abstract In September 2021, following the global COVID‐19 pandemic, the Department for Education introduced a national standardised digital Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) for all English ...4‐year‐old children. We analyse RBA and its associated Quality Monitoring Visits, as a further intensification of the new public management of early years education to produce ‘school‐ready’ human capital. This paper reports on professionals' and children's responses to RBA by analysing the mixed‐methods data from a nationwide survey of early years professionals ( n = 1032) and six in‐depth case study Reception classes with teacher interviews ( n = 14) and researcher observations ( n = 12). An adult thematic analysis of the responses suggests that some children and their teachers used their agency in creative ‘small acts’ of micro‐resistance. These ‘small acts’ of resistance and refusal are theorised as micro‐political contestations of a policy that is antithetical to early education's socio‐cultural approach. More research is needed to further understand the politics of young children's rights, agency, micro‐resistance and refusal.
Vietnam has played a significant role in promoting children's rights, becoming the second nation in the world, and the first in Asia, to officially embrace the Convention on the Rights of the Child. ...This achievement was made possible through collaboration with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This study focuses on analyzing lessons learnt from Nuôi Em Project, a representative initiative aimed at promoting children's rights in mountainous regions of Vietnam.
Quantitative data from the Nuôi Em project reports spanning from 2014 to 2022, including the report for the year 2022, was analyzed in combination with qualitative data obtained through in-depth interviews with 03 stakeholders (project managerial boards, and authorities in the target regions of the project). The study identified five key factors contributing to the project's success: (i) Financial sustainability; (ii) Social impact, (iii) Community involvement; (iv) Leadership and management, and (v) Adaptability.
The Nuôi Em project demonstrated remarkable success in raising funds and providing nutrition support to children in 19 mountainous provinces of Vietnam. Over the course of 9 years, the project provided lunch meals to 60,000 ethnic children in kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2. To ensure sustainability, the project adopted a community-based fundraising approach and established close collaboration with the government to implement project activities. However, the sustainability score is low with the percentage of sustainability 46.7% (28 score/maximum score of 60).
The Nuôi Em initiative has emerged as a crucial contributor to the protection and promotion of children's rights in remote mountainous regions, particularly in terms of nutrition and access to clean water. Based on the findings, the study proposes several recommendations for the improvement of the Nuoi Em initiative. Firstly, the project should adopt a social business model by collaborating with parents in developing traditional products from the mountainous regions. Secondly, using the funds which not in use as interest-free loans to local people (parents) with a commitment to repayment within a specified timeframe could enhance the economy sustainability by promoting traditional products. Finally, the initiative should establish itself as a professional non-governmental organization with dedicated personnel, standardized procedures, and strategic planning.
This paper analyses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the 'education rights' of children in the Irish context, with a particular focus on children's/human rights education (C/HRE). C/HRE can ...support children and young people to understand and explore the issues which limit people's lives and consider actions to uphold their own rights and the rights of others. The breadth and depth of the provision of HRE can be considered across 'education about rights' (including knowledge and understanding of human rights values, norms and frameworks), 'education through rights' (rights respecting educational approaches) and 'education for rights' (empowerment to realising and upholding rights) (UN 2011). The paper situates this framework against three additional dimensions. Firstly, it considers the children's rights issues within a historical national context. Secondly, it explores the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the education rights of children in Ireland. Finally, with a future orientation, the paper considers how C/HRE can strengthen education, meeting the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the legacies of longstanding children's rights issues, and future human rights challenges.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child gives children the right to be heard and to participate in judicial and administrative proceedings. Children are seen as bearers and subjects of rights, ...instead of passive recipients of protection rights. Refugee children, however, are often depicted as vulnerable human beings who require protection. This article conceptualises refugee children’s right to be heard in asylum procedures from a children’s rights perspective, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the development and increased prominence in law and practice of the concept of child participation. Through interviews with professionals working in asylum procedures in the Netherlands, it is analysed how the concept of participation is implemented in practice. It is shown that as a consequence of the specific dynamic of the asylum procedure, placing the burden of proof on the child, according significant weight to the child’s story and credibility and the power imbalance between the child and the immigration authorities, meaningful participation is difficult to achieve. Especially the position of children accompanied by their parents is pressing in this regard, because they are not granted the same legal safeguards compared to unaccompanied children.
This collection of essays by a variety of scholars, compiled to celebrate the silver anniversary of The International Journal of Children's Rights, builds on work already in the literature to reveal ...where we are now at and how the law concerned with children is reacting to new developments. New, or relatively new subject matter is explored, such as film classification, intersex genital mutilation, the right to development. Rights within the context of sport are given an airing. We are offered new perspectives on discipline, on the significance of "rights flowing downhill," on the so-called six " General Principles." The uses to which the CRC is put in legal reasoning in some legal systems is critically examined. Though not intended as an audit, the collection offers a fascinating image of where the field of children's right is at now, the progress that has been made, and what issues will require work in the future.
The 'new' sociology of childhood emerged over 20 years ago, arguing for the social construction of childhood to be acknowledged and for the recognition of children and young people's agency and ...rights. Other disciplines joined this growing academic area, from children's geographies to law, so that the phrase 'childhood studies' has become a popular label. Policy and practice both influenced, and were influenced by, childhood studies, particularly in relation to promoting children's rights. This paper provides an insider's critique of the current state of childhood studies, with attention to theoretical challenges and its applicability across Majority and Minority Worlds. From a childhood studies' perspective, the paper suggests the potential of notions of relations, relationships and reciprocity.
In this article, the term ‘participation’ refers to the right of the child to express their views in matters affecting them and for their views to be acted upon as appropriate. While there is a ...growing emphasis in social work practice on a child’s right to participate, less attention has been given to how best to support children’s participation. A systematic review and narrative synthesis of twenty studies with varying methods explores how effective processes, commonly used in social work practice, are in supporting children’s participation in decisions concerning their personal welfare, protection and care. The review explores the effectiveness of the following processes: the use of advocates; a child’s attendance at an assessment, planning or review meeting; Family Welfare Conferences; and recording a child’s views in writing. There is indicative evidence that the use of advocates is an effective means of supporting children’s participation. Findings in relation to the other processes reviewed are mixed. A key factor influencing how effective these processes are in supporting children’s participation is the quality of the relationship with the child and his or her caseworker.
Research indicates that child welfare services reach out to children exposed to violence unequally depending on the child's social background, living conditions and violence type.
Based on the notion ...of selective recognition of vulnerability and risk, this study explores which children CWS pursue to a complete child welfare investigation.
A register was set up including all children (n = 1764) between 7 and 12 years that were investigated for suspected exposure to violence by CWS in the municipality of the City of Stockholm, Sweden, in 2019.
This cohort was systematically compared to demographic data and national self-report prevalence studies to explore possible biases regarding which children CWS investigates. Descriptive analysis, cluster analysis and logistic regressions were used.
The results confirm previous research that children exposed to violence have reduced access to material resources and inferior living conditions compared to non-exposed children. Physical abuse is more prevalent among boys of foreign backgrounds in stable, two-parent families residing in higher-status suburbs. Conversely, neglect is more common among children of Swedish backgrounds in low-income, single-parent households living in low-status suburbs. In comparison with self-reported prevalence studies, sexual and psychological abuse seem underrepresented in the study group, while neglect and violence in the family are relatively more frequently investigated compared to self-reported prevalence studies.
The results indicate that CWS should develop its methods to reach certain vulnerable groups that are underrepresented for safeguarding and support, for example, girls exposed to sexual abuse.
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