Peer-reviewed article
Waiting for Children’s Rights Theory
Karl Hanson, Noam Peleg ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a theoretical article about children's rights studies as an academic field. It discusses the need for better reflection on theories used in children's rights research, including normative questions about what rights children should have, the concept of intersectionality, and how globalisation affects children's rights frameworks globally. The article does not evaluate child well-being outcomes or test interventions.
Key points
- Children's rights studies lacks reflection on the normative relevance and explanatory power of theories used
- The article examines normative questions about which rights children have and how rights can be balanced
- Intersectionality is considered as an analytical tool for understanding children's rights
- Globalisation processes significantly impact how children's rights develop worldwide
- Local and global interconnections shape children's rights policies and programmes
Limitations
This is a theoretical discussion paper rather than an empirical study, so it does not provide evidence about the actual well-being or lived experiences of children, nor does it evaluate specific interventions or programmes.
Abstract
In this article we argue that what is missing in children’s rights studies is not so much the presence of theories, but rather reflections and discussions about the normative relevance, analytical qualities and explanatory powers of the mobilised theories. We consider theorisations in children’s rights, first, on the normative level, where there is a need to continue reflecting about the moral and legal rights children have and/or should have, and about how these rights can be further exercised, or need to be balanced against one another. Next, we look at the analytical merits of the concept intersectionality to consider simultaneously differences and similarities between children’s rights and other categories of fundamental rights, as well as to reflect on the very categories that are employed. We then discuss empirical implications of globalisation processes, that have significantly impacted on how children’s rights are taking shape in the world, and how interconnections between local and global spheres shape imaginations, discourses, normative frameworks, policies and programmes in the field of children’s rights.