scholarly journals Representation of Children’s Views in Finnish Newspaper Media Across Three Decades

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleena Mustola ◽  
Eija Sevón ◽  
Maarit Alasuutari

As the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) celebrates its thirtieth anniversary,it is relevant to explore how understandings of children’s rights have appeared duringthese three decades. As a key public actor in society, the media provides an interesting field inwhich to study the salience of children’s rights in societal and public discussions. Thus, in this article,we examine how children’s views are represented in «Helsingin Sanomat», the main nationalnewspaper of Finland, in 1997, 2007, and 2017. This examination is based on articles 12 and 13of the UNCRC, where it is stated that children have the right to express themselves in all mattersaffecting them. The data collection for this article was based on a systematic random samplingmethod of these issues in the years mentioned above, and a systematic content analysis was alsoapplied. The results show that, somewhat surprisingly, in 2017, less than a third of news storiesconcerning childhood and children reported children’s views on the matter, while in 2007, almosthalf of news stories reported on children’s views. Based on the data, it appears that macro-levelissues remained within adults’ sphere of discussion during these years.

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 835-871
Author(s):  
Nicola Fairhall ◽  
Kevin Woods

Abstract Children’s rights are set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This systematic literature review aimed to investigate children’s views of children’s rights, at a broad level. Nine papers were included, from a range of countries and contexts. They all accessed the views of children and young people (aged up to 18 years). A content analysis was carried out using a recursive process of hybrid aggregative-configurative synthesis, and themes within children’s views and factors that may affect these were identified. These were ‘awareness of rights’, ‘value placed on (importance of) rights’, ‘impact of having/not having rights fulfilled’, ‘realisation and respect of rights’, ‘equality of rights’, ‘identifying and categorising of rights’, and ‘factors that may affect children’s views’. These were developed into a progression of rights realisation and implications for practice and further research were considered.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-89
Author(s):  
Amy Risley

This article argues that social issues are central to the children’s rights movement in Argentina. For more than a decade, child advocates have traced the plight of children to poverty, marginality, and neoliberal economic reforms. In particular, they have framed the issue of child welfare as closely related to socioeconomic conditions, underscored the “perverse” characteristics of the country’s existing institutions and policies, and called for reforms that accord with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although the country’s policies are gradually being transformed due to a landmark child-protection law passed in 2005, a dramatically more progressive framework for children’s rights has not yet been adopted. Given that policymakers have largely failed to reverse the trends that activists perceive as harming children, it is expected that advocates will continue to criticise the gap between domestic realities and the social and economic rights included in the Convention.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Cornelia Schneider

<p>The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted and ratified in 1990 by the UN<br />General Assembly, and signed by most member countries of the United Nations. However, its<br />implementation is slow, complex, and can to-date be considered as incomplete in most<br />countries, particularly as children’s rights often seem to be in contradiction with traditional<br />perceptions of children as dependent, immature and incompetent human beings under their<br />parents’ tutelage. Furthermore, it appears that children’s rights are at risk of colliding with the<br />rights of the family. These issues are even more strongly highlighted when it comes to<br />children with disabilities, as those children often are perceived as vulnerable and incompetent.<br />The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006 emphasizes the right<br />to full participation based on the social model of disability, including the right to inclusive<br />education for children with disabilities. This article addresses both conventions, the<br />contradictions within but also with each other, which impede the rights of children with<br />disabilities as much as traditional perceptions of childhood do. It will then demonstrate how<br />the recognition of the rights of children with disabilities can be improved by using the<br />frameworks of sociology of childhood (Corsaro, 2015) and the work on relationship building<br />and solidarity by Honneth (1995). Lastly, the article will give examples of how to implement<br />and respect the rights of children with disabilities in schools, by using the example of the<br /><em>Index for Inclusion</em>.</p>


Author(s):  
Karen M. Staller

Children's rights can refer to moral rights—basic human rights regardless of age or station—and legal rights, those awarded based on chronological age or level of maturity. They are conceptualized in three categories: protection rights (the right to be free from harm and exploitation), provision rights (the right to have their basic needs met), and participation rights (the right to have a say). Children's rights can conflict with family autonomy, and state intervention is based on the common law doctrine of parens patriae. The UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most comprehensive statement of children's rights to date.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Faulkner ◽  
Conrad Nyamutata

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (uncrc) 1989 has been celebrated for its universal acceptance. However, questions still arise around its provenance and representation. In particular, the Convention is deemed to enshrine Western notions of childhood upon which its rights were constructed. However, the legacy of the colonial contours of the new world order are often excluded within the context of children’s rights. It has been suggested that the new imperialism brandished under the guise of “children’s rights” serves as an effective tool to “beat” the Global South, deflecting from the continued Western dominance within the field of children’s rights. This paper interrogates the power dynamics and colonial legacy upon which views of children are formed, centralising the multitude of issues in the arena of children’s rights in the wake of what can be identified as Hokusai’s wave. 1


2020 ◽  
pp. 002087282095185
Author(s):  
Hsin-Yi Chen ◽  
I-Chen Tang

The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of social workers in Taiwan on children’s rights. Among the 94 social workers who were interviewed, most were familiar with children’s rights terminology. From the results of this study, parental needs and the inability of young children to communicate effectively hindered the balance between protection of and participation by children. To better implement children’s rights, social workers should gain a deeper understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and develop skills for communicating well with children and parents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nessa Lynch ◽  
Ton Liefaard

The 30 years since the enactment of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has seen extensive developments in the theory and practice of children’s rights. Children’s rights are now an established academic discipline with the study of children in conflict with the law being a fundamental area of analysis. This paper takes the approach of highlighting three areas of development of children’s rights scholarship in relation to the criminal justice system: children’s rights, developmental science and notable themes emerging from cross-national scholarship, including age limits, diversion, effective participation and deprivation of liberty. In addition, it analyses three gaps or challenges which are “left in the too-hard basket” for the coming decades.


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