Views of Childhood and Children's Rights

Question 1

UNCRC

Answer 1

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Question 2

What did the UNCRC do?

Answer 2

Affirm children’s place and their rights in society and create a global consciousness of childhood

Question 3

What is a guiding principle of the CRC? (Article 2)

Answer 3

Non discrimination: no child should be treated unfairly due to their race, belief, religion and social class

Question 4

What is a guiding principle of the CRC? (Article 3)

Answer 4

Best interests of the child: all decisions made about the child should be in their best interests

Question 5

What is a guiding principle of the CRC? (Article 6)

Answer 5

Rights to life, survival and development: Government must aim to provide children with adequate nutrition, education, healthcare and other needs

Question 6

What is a guiding principle of the CRC? (Article 12)

Answer 6

Participation: Children have a right to be heard in all matter that concerns them

Question 7

Why has the CRC been criticised?

Answer 7

Some argue it promotes a western understanding of childhood as a universal or ideal type

Question 8

What can a promotion of western understandings of childhood result in?

Answer 8

Illegitimising non-western childhoods because they do not conform to the ‘ideal’ type

Question 9

What largely informs the CRC?

Answer 9

The caretaker thesis

Question 10

What is the caretaker thesis?

Answer 10

A caretaker assumes responsibility for protecting a child’s rights because the child is not yet considered competent to exercise these rights

Question 11

What do caretaker’s have to consider?

Answer 11

What would the child want if they were mature enough to decide for themselves

Question 12

Why is the caretaker thesis considered problematic?

Answer 12

Not all societies agree on when children are capable of taking care of themselves

Question 13

In what ways can childhoods experience differences?

Answer 13

Economically: children from poor families will experience a different childhood to an affluent one, Gender: girls face things such as early marriage, FGM and other discrimination, Time Wise: certain countries may have a different life expectancy

Question 14

What do societies often differ in views on?

Answer 14

The separation of adult and child worlds

Question 15

Should children be denied political participation?

Answer 15

Some may argue they are too immature, however not all adults are competent voters but are not denied the right to vote

Question 16

Issues with adults having responsibility?

Answer 16

On what basis are they entrusted with this responsibility?

Question 17

Roles of responsibility

Answer 17

Usually require a form of testing

Question 18

Parenthood

Answer 18

Anyone can become a parent, what if they have issues such as addiction?

Question 19

Limits of children’s participation rights?

Answer 19

Their views are only listened to if adults like what they are saying

Question 20

What is a child defined as?

Answer 20

A human being below the age of 18 years

Question 21

Differences in views of children

Answer 21

Some consider children able to work and provide for the family earlier than others

Question 22

What does the new sociology of childhood argue?

Answer 22

There is not one, but many childhoods with different genders and class