Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Despite the existence of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child there still exists a debate on whether children can really hold rights. This book presents a clear theory of children's rights by examining controversial case studies. The author presents a pathway to translating rights into practical social and political instruments for change.
Synopsis
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child now stands as the most ratified UN convention. However, under the surface of international agreement, there is still an unresolved debate as to whether children can really hold rights. Children are routinely treated as a "test-case" in philosophy or as second-class citizens in policy making. By examining contemporary and controversial cases, such as the rights of children born using donated gametes to know the identity of their donor, or whether transgender children can consent to puberty-inhibiting hormone treatment, Mhairi Cowden demonstrates how the philosophy of children's rights can help us to protect them in practice. She presents a strong argument for why children have rights and begins to translate children's rights from a "slogan without definition" into practical social and political instruments for change.