Rethinking Children’s Rights: Attitudes in Contemporary Society

Rethinking Children’s Rights explores attitudes towards and experiences of children’s rights. Phil Jones and Sue Welch draw on a wide range of thought, research and practice from different fields and countries to debate, challenge and re-appraise long held beliefs, attitudes and ways of working and living with children.

This second edition contains updated references to legislation and research underpinning children’s rights, reflecting on recent scholarship and on the current world context. New research and examples are discussed around: - online protection and privacy - evaluating UK progress and the children’s rights review by the United Nations - recent insights on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
- new debates about the construction and development of children’s rights - new debates about the relationships between social exclusion and children’s rights

Recent developments in the definition of rights are considered from a variety of perspectives and in relation to different arenas of children’s lives. This second edition brings an increased focus on exploring the notion of disjunction between the rhetoric of policy and legislation and the enacted and perceived experiences of children’s rights.

Themes discussed include power relations between adults and children, the child’s voice, intercultural perspectives, social justice, gender and disability. Examples of research, activities, interviews with researchers and guidance on further reading make this an essential text for those studying childhood.