Handbook of Children's Rights

While the notion of young people as individuals worthy or capable of having rights is of relatively recent origin, over the past several decades there has been a substantial increase in both social and political commitment to childrens rights as well as a tendency to grant young people some of the rights that were typically accorded only to adults. In addition, there has been a noticeable shift in orientation from a focus on childrens protection and provision to an emphasis on childrens participation and self-determination. With contributions from a wide range of international scholars, the Handbook of Childrens Rights brings together research, theory, and practice from diverse perspectives on childrens rights. This volume constitutes a comprehensive treatment of critical perspectives concerning childrens rights in their various forms. Its contributions address some of the major scholarly tensions and policy debates comprising the current discourse on childrens rights, including the best interests of the child, evolving capacities of the child, states rights versus childrens rights, rights of children versus parental or family rights, children as citizens, childrens rights versus childrens responsibilities, and balancing protection and participation. In addition to its multidisciplinary focus, the handbook includes perspectives from social science domains in which childrens rights scholarship has evolved largely independently due to distinct and seemingly competing assumptions and disciplinary approaches (e.g., childhood studies, developmental psychology, sociology of childhood, anthropology, and political science). The handbook also brings together diverse methodological approaches to the study of childrens rights, including both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, and policy analysis. This comprehensive, cosmopolitan, and timely volume serves as an important reference for both scholarly and policy-driven interest in the voices and perspectives of children and youth.