tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/united-nations-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child-14122/articlesUnited Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – The Conversation2020-08-12T15:06:03Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1429762020-08-12T15:06:03Z2020-08-12T15:06:03ZAs schools prepare to reopen during COVID-19, are the kids alright?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352016/original/file-20200810-24-5orb0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C370%2C5760%2C3078&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A seven-year-old boy waits at the bus stop in Dallas, Ga., for the first day of school on Aug. 3, 2020. Canadian schools are reopening in September, but is anyone really thinking about the well-being of the children?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As September approaches and schools prepare to reopen, there are concerns for children, including the risk they might <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/world-coronavirus-dispatch-do-open-schools-spread-the-virus-more-120072500950_1.html">spread COVID-19</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2020/05/15/its-not-childrens-education-we-should-worry-about-its-their-mental-health/#4f87635d1fcb">their mental health,</a> <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/forgotten-victims-of-the-coronavirus-kids-who-are-facing-neglect-and-sometimes-abuse-at-home-2020-04-28">abuse in the home</a> and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/03/16/coronavirus-school-cancellations-online-learning-affordable-covid-19/5054426002/">access to technology</a>. </p>
<p>These concerns largely focus on children’s psycho-social development, while protecting children and families from COVID-19 has taken a back seat. </p>
<p>Consequently, children have been excluded from conversations as experts make their decisions for them.</p>
<h2>Human beings or human ‘becomings?’</h2>
<p>While adults are seen as fully independent human beings, children are seen as incomplete and lacking control, knowledge and experience. Jens Qvortrup, a Norwegian sociologist who specializes in childhood, terms this distinction <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41625246?seq=1">the difference between human beings and “becomings.”</a> </p>
<p>The majority of society’s understanding and treatment of children has to do with who they will <em>become</em>, which in turn ignores who the child is today.</p>
<p>Historically, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568210371526">children have had fewer rights</a> than adults because of belief that children are incapable and inexperienced. </p>
<p>Decisions made in a child’s “best interest” often have to do with producing strong outcomes for their future and for society. But the consequences can be dire when the decisions made for children fail to account for their current well-being or opinions. </p>
<p>My preliminary research examines how policies that focus on children at the same time constrain their rights and ignore their experiences. </p>
<p>In June, the Ontario government released <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/approach-reopening-schools-2020-2021-school-year">its plan</a> for reopening schools in September. <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-reopening-schools">It was updated in late July</a> to explain that the reopenings would involve a blend of online and in-person learning. </p>
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<img alt="Doug Ford, wearing a mask, walks down a school hallway with a row of red lockers to the left." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352017/original/file-20200810-18-aropg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352017/original/file-20200810-18-aropg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352017/original/file-20200810-18-aropg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352017/original/file-20200810-18-aropg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352017/original/file-20200810-18-aropg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352017/original/file-20200810-18-aropg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352017/original/file-20200810-18-aropg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Ontario Premier Doug Ford walks the hallway before making an announcement regarding the government’s plan for a safe reopening of schools in the fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic at Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School in Whitby, Ont.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
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<p>The initial plan is focused on concerns for children’s futures: that they’ll fall behind academically or face consequences at home that negatively impact their development, such as abuse or a lack of socialization. </p>
<h2>Focused on outcomes</h2>
<p>The strategy therefore focuses largely on outcomes since it prioritizes a continuous monitoring and examination of students to ensure that they are performing at the proper level. Even though <a href="https://childmind.org/article/classroom-anxiety-in-children/">increased anxiety</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/13/376720559/grieving-in-the-classroom">grief</a> and <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2020/05/27/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-student-achievement-and-what-it-may-mean-for-educators/">time off school</a> might have negatively affected a child’s performance, the plan focuses more on meeting curriculum goals than overall well-being. </p>
<p>Curriculum goals are a perfect example of outcome-based thinking, as students will be placed under <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/10/16/why-we-should-end-eqao-testing.html">potentially stressful examinations</a> that are based on their performance of skills that prepare them for the workplace instead of meeting children where they are and ensuring that they’re safe and healthy. </p>
<p>The concern for children’s academic performance over their health and fears places children and their families at risk for both COVID-19 infection and mental health issues.</p>
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<img alt="A woman and two young girls sit on a couch smiling as they look at the screen of a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352022/original/file-20200810-20-jn8n7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352022/original/file-20200810-20-jn8n7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352022/original/file-20200810-20-jn8n7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352022/original/file-20200810-20-jn8n7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352022/original/file-20200810-20-jn8n7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352022/original/file-20200810-20-jn8n7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352022/original/file-20200810-20-jn8n7x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A mother and her daughters take part in Twitter’s ‘virtual camp,’ an initiative aimed at helping Canadian employees juggle their professional and parenting duties while working from home during COVID-19 lockdowns.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Thornhill</span></span>
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<p>Return-to-school discussions not only address children’s future work-related abilities, but are also focused <a href="https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/06/ontario-helping-parents-return-to-work.html">on getting parents back to work as soon as possible</a>. Having children at home, particularly young children, might prevent parents from working. With <a href="https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/covid-19-outbreak-reported-in-windsor-essex-childcare-facility-1.5037589">recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in daycares</a>, traditional forms of child care may not be an option. </p>
<p>Getting parents back into the economy therefore is a top priority, and school provides a form of free child care. That means economic stability is apparently the primary reason for returning to school, not concerns about children. Financial gain is taking centre stage over children’s care, their right to safety and security, and potentially, their lives. </p>
<h2>Children left out of decisions</h2>
<p>Throughout the reopening plans in Ontario, the government has consistently said parents can choose if their child will return to class. But because children are seen as less capable than adults, they may have largely been left out of these decisions. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-provinces-must-respect-childrens-rights-to-education-whether-or-not-schools-reopen-in-september-142802">COVID-19: Provinces must respect children's rights to education whether or not schools reopen in September</a>
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<p>However, under the <a href="https://www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-convention-child-rights/">United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child</a>, children have a right to information and expression about matters that concern them. Children have already <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/covid-19-coronavirus-kids-young-teens-stress-anxiety-1.5523456">expressed concerns</a> about the virus, but may be forced to face COVID-19 head-on due to economic circumstances beyond their control. </p>
<p>In the case of parents who cannot elect to stay home from work, families are forced to choose between placing themselves at risk of COVID-19 or losing out on wages. <a href="https://globalnews.ca/content/6841818/coronavirus-getting-cerb-if-you-choose-not-to-work/">Considering the Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit is not available for those who can work but choose not to</a>, low-income families may be forced to choose between sickness and destitution. Parents must make decisions that do not include their child’s opinions or best interests. </p>
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<img alt="A mother and son hug as the boy makes his way into his school as a person in an orange safety vest looks on." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352024/original/file-20200810-18-7lpo9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352024/original/file-20200810-18-7lpo9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352024/original/file-20200810-18-7lpo9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352024/original/file-20200810-18-7lpo9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352024/original/file-20200810-18-7lpo9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352024/original/file-20200810-18-7lpo9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352024/original/file-20200810-18-7lpo9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A boy hugs his mother as he returns to class at École Marie Rose as elementary schools outside Montréal reopened in May 2020 amid the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
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<p>All of these underlying motivations for reopening schools deny children their right to participate in matters that concern them and their rights to safety and security, as outlined by the <a href="https://www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-convention-child-rights/">UN convention</a>.</p>
<p>Considering that children are capable of learning and contributing to the world around them, they should be given the opportunity to digest information regarding COVID-19 and weigh in on options for their education. </p>
<p>Any decision that places a child’s physical and mental health at severe risk should not be taken lightly, and policy-makers and parents alike should consider the voices of those most affected — the children themselves.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142976/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sydney Chapados does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Any decision that places a child’s physical and mental health at risk shouldn’t be taken lightly, so policy-makers and parents alike should listen to those most affected — the children themselves.Sydney Chapados, Doctoral Fellow, Sociology, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/859622017-10-29T21:57:35Z2017-10-29T21:57:35ZWhy parents should never spank children<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192314/original/file-20171028-13298-1otacaq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There is no research evidence that spanking improves child behaviour. On the contrary, spanking is associated with aggression, antisocial behaviour, mental health problems and negative relationships with parents.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Spanking — usually defined as hitting a child on the buttocks with an open hand — is a <a href="http://www.endcorporalpunishment.org/research/prevalence-research/">common form of discipline still used on children worldwide</a>. However, to date, spanking <a href="http://www.endcorporalpunishment.org/">has been banned in 53 countries and states globally</a>. </p>
<p>The use of spanking has been hotly debated over the last several decades. Supporters state that it is safe, necessary and effective; opponents argue that spanking is harmful to children and violates their human rights to protection.</p>
<p>As two scholars with extensive research experience and clinical insight in the field of child maltreatment, and with specific expertise related to spanking, we would like to move beyond this debate. </p>
<p>The research clearly shows that spanking is related to an increased likelihood of many <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27055181">poor health, social and developmental outcomes</a>. These poor outcomes include <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-1284539.pdf">mental health problems</a>, substance use, suicide attempts and physical health conditions along with developmental, behavioural, social and cognitive problems. Equally important, there are <a href="http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2012/02/06/cmaj.101314">no research studies showing that spanking is beneficial for children</a>.</p>
<p>Those who say spanking is safe for a child if done in a specific way are, it would seem, simply expressing opinions. And these opinions are not supported by scientific evidence. </p>
<h2>The evidence on spanking</h2>
<p>There have now been hundreds of high-quality spanking research studies with a wide variety of samples and study designs. Over time, the quality of this research has improved to include better spanking measures and more sophisticated research designs and statistical methods. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192139/original/file-20171026-13367-17u1xwj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192139/original/file-20171026-13367-17u1xwj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192139/original/file-20171026-13367-17u1xwj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192139/original/file-20171026-13367-17u1xwj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192139/original/file-20171026-13367-17u1xwj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192139/original/file-20171026-13367-17u1xwj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192139/original/file-20171026-13367-17u1xwj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Researchers can help move the debate forward by studying the impact of positive parenting interventions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>The scientific evidence from these studies has consistently shown that spanking is related to harmful outcomes for children.</p>
<p>This has been best demonstrated in two landmark meta-analyses led by Dr. Elizabeth Gershoff. The first paper, published in 2002, reviewed and analyzed 88 studies published in the 62 years prior and found that <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-1284539.pdf">physical punishment was associated with physical abuse, delinquency and antisocial behaviour</a>. </p>
<p>An updated meta-analysis was most recently published in 2016. This reviewed and analyzed 75 studies from the previous 13 years, concluding that there was <a href="http://stories24.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/spanking_and_child_outcomes.pdf">no evidence that spanking improved child behaviour and that spanking was associated with an increased risk of 13 detrimental outcomes</a>. These include aggression, antisocial behaviour, mental health problems and negative relationships with parents. </p>
<p>We now have data that clearly demonstrates that spanking is not safe, nor effective. Of course this does not make parents who have used spanking bad parents. In the past, we simply did not know the risks.</p>
<h2>Towards positive parenting strategies</h2>
<p>Evidence from over 20 years of research consistently indicates the harms of spanking. There is also increasing global recognition of the rights of children to protection and dignity, as inscribed in the <a href="https://www.unicef.org/crc/">UN Convention on the Rights of the Child</a> and in targets within the <a href="http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/">UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</a> to eliminate violence. Taken together, these tell us that spanking should never be used on children or adolescents of any age. </p>
<p>It is important, now, to find ways to help parents use positive and non-physical strategies with their children. Research already shows some evidence that <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014521341730025X">parenting programs specifically aimed at preventing physical punishment can be successful</a>. </p>
<p>Some evidence for reducing harsh parenting and physical punishment has been found for <a href="http://www.pcit.org/">Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)</a>, the <a href="http://www.incredibleyears.com/">Incredible Years (IY) program</a> and the <a href="http://nfp.mcmaster.ca/">Nurse Family Partnership (NFP)</a>. Other promising home visiting initiatives and interventions taking place in community and paediatric settings are also being examined for proven effectiveness. </p>
<p>As researchers, we also need to reframe the research we are conducting, the questions we are asking and the discussions we are having — to move this field forwards and to ensure the safety and well-being of children. The academic journal <em>Child Abuse & Neglect</em> <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01452134/71?sdc=1">has published a special issue</a>, containing <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213417300145">original research</a> and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213417300522">discussion papers containing further strategies</a>. It is free to all readers for a limited time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85962/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Tracie O. Afifi receives funding from CIHR. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elisa Romano receives funding from the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.</span></em></p>The debate on spanking is over. Scientific studies consistently show that it is harmful to children, increasing the likelihood of mental health problems and antisocial behaviours.Tracie O. Afifi, Associate Professor, University of ManitobaElisa Romano, Full Professor of Clinical Psychology, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/828902017-09-07T23:29:52Z2017-09-07T23:29:52ZA new way to reduce playground bullying<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185004/original/file-20170906-9862-il178m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">As kids head back to school this week across Canada, many will be victims or perpetrators of bullying. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For some teachers, back-to-school excitement comes with jitters over how best to address new curriculum mandates. And for many parents, there are other worries, including concerns about their children’s social interactions and fears of playground bullying. </p>
<p>As a researcher in children’s literature, I have developed a literary mentorship program that tackles both of these challenges. <em>Read for Your Rights!</em> uses children’s fiction to engage young children on the concepts of rights and responsibility, and with the content of the <a href="https://www.unicef.org/crc/">United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child</a> (UNCRC). </p>
<p>The program also aims to reduce bullying at school. And preliminary data from a pilot at a Chilliwack elementary school in British Columbia during 2017 shows success. </p>
<p>Participating teachers observed fewer instances of negative social behaviour after their students participated in <em>Read for Your Rights!</em> They also observed scenarios in which an altercation broke out and children made specific references to the program in attempts to elicit better treatment of one another. </p>
<p>Can you imagine hearing the words: “Remember to ‘Choose Kind’!” or “We’re like the Bully Blockers!” ring out over the playground? That’s what happened in Chilliwack after the children participated in the program. </p>
<h2>Teaching rights and responsibilities</h2>
<p>In B.C., teachers are wondering how to meet <a href="http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/curriculum">new requirements</a> to cover human rights within social studies lessons. Teachers are now expected to teach treaties such as the UNCRC beginning in Kindergarten. But how can such a complex legal document be made accessible for the youngest learners when even adults find it nebulous?</p>
<p>The key to making human rights real for children is making them concrete. Connecting some of the UNCRC’s abstract principles with familiar, everyday situations allows even kindergarteners to begin to grapple with concepts of rights and responsibilities. Using children’s books is an effective way to make it work.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185123/original/file-20170907-9573-mw2uau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185123/original/file-20170907-9573-mw2uau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185123/original/file-20170907-9573-mw2uau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185123/original/file-20170907-9573-mw2uau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185123/original/file-20170907-9573-mw2uau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185123/original/file-20170907-9573-mw2uau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185123/original/file-20170907-9573-mw2uau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Grade 5 kids working with undergraduate mentors on the Read for Your Rights! pilot in a Chilliwack elementary school.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That’s exactly what we did in <em>Read for Your Rights!</em> We piloted the program at a Chilliwack elementary school in February 2017. Students from my <a href="http://www.ufv.ca/english/">University of the Fraser Valley English</a> course <em>Children’s Literature and Children’s Rights</em> were involved in mentoring students in Grade 5 and then helping those children mentor kindergarteners.</p>
<p>First of all, the students read the <a href="https://www.unicef.org/rightsite/files/uncrcchilldfriendlylanguage.pdf">UNCRC in child-friendly language</a>. The UNCRC alone is too abstract, so we made it more tangibly real by bringing in a work of children’s literature and drawing connections between the story and the document. </p>
<p>The Grade 5s then read <a href="http://rjpalacio.com/book.html"><em>Wonder</em></a> by R. J. Palacio, while the kindergarteners read <a href="https://www.albertwhitman.com/book/the-bully-blockers-club/"><em>The Bully Blockers Club</em></a> by Teresa Bateman. My students, who read both stories, identified the most relevant UNCRC articles relating to each book and used them to create program activities. When that was done it was finally time to bring everybody — and everything — together. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185002/original/file-20170906-9202-kdgqcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185002/original/file-20170906-9202-kdgqcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185002/original/file-20170906-9202-kdgqcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185002/original/file-20170906-9202-kdgqcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185002/original/file-20170906-9202-kdgqcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1157&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185002/original/file-20170906-9202-kdgqcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1157&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185002/original/file-20170906-9202-kdgqcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1157&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Wonder’ by R. J. Palacio.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Handout</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To deliver the program, my students supported the Grade 5 children in various activities ranging from group discussions, to literature circles, to skits, to making a (paper) friendship quilt. During four of these hour-long sessions, the children worked to connect <em>Wonder</em> and <a href="https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwj4y_eHrJPWAhUM3GMKHUvjCYoQFggmMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unicef.org%2Fcrc%2Ffiles%2FRights_overview.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFqFlwsmxaTAjRz3TWm34ednn-CRw">Articles 2, 12 and 29 of the UNCRC</a>. These relate to non-discrimination, respect for children’s views and the right to an education that helps them develop their talents and live peacefully.</p>
<p>Using a similar approach, my students and the Grade 5 children spent two sessions working with kindergarteners to find common ground between Articles 15 and 19 — which include the right to protection from all forms of violence — and <em>The Bully Blockers Club</em>. During this portion of the program, activities included small and large group discussions, skits and friendship bracelets.</p>
<h2>‘We’re like the Bully-Blockers!’</h2>
<p>The program also aimed to reduce bullying at school. There are plenty of studies suggesting that children’s literature can <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ664307">help children understand bullying</a> behaviour and that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2015.1095100">school-based programs might be effective</a> in reducing it. However, none bring in the UNCRC. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185001/original/file-20170906-9823-1oc2rx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/185001/original/file-20170906-9823-1oc2rx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=761&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185001/original/file-20170906-9823-1oc2rx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=761&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185001/original/file-20170906-9823-1oc2rx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=761&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185001/original/file-20170906-9823-1oc2rx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=956&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185001/original/file-20170906-9823-1oc2rx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=956&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/185001/original/file-20170906-9823-1oc2rx9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=956&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘The Bully Blockers Club’ by Teresa Bateman.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Handout</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since I have argued that the <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/628009">UNCRC is the foundation to developing a more child-centred approach to children’s literature</a>, I brought together various well-established practices — mentoring, literature circles, artistic activities and rights education — into a brand new program. My theory was that by linking rights and responsibilities, and at the same time inviting children to observe the emotional consequences of bullying through the “neutral” medium of story, they would begin to take responsibility for treating one another more kindly at school. </p>
<p>But does it work? Can reading for their rights really help children to better understand both the UNCRC <em>and</em> a work of literature — all leading to reduced bullying?</p>
<p>While the pilot was admittedly small, preliminary data collected through questionnaires and field observations does clearly indicate children’s increased understanding and application of their rights and responsibilities. </p>
<p>For example, before participating in <em>Read for Your Rights!</em> only eight per cent of the Grade 5 children who responded to the questionnaires reported knowing about the UNCRC or children’s rights. After the program, 96 per cent said they knew about these things. </p>
<p>Before the program, only 46 per cent of Grade 5 children believed that bullying relates to children’s rights; after the program, 64 per cent believed this. Before the program, 92 per cent of children didn’t know how to stop bullying. Afterwards, only 72 per cent reported not knowing. kindergarten results were similar (although less pronounced). </p>
<h2>In the classroom</h2>
<p>Any teacher can use elements of <em>Read for Your Rights!</em> You don’t need two dozen eager university students to begin enjoying some of the program’s benefits. Teachers can tick off a tricky item on the new curriculum To Do list anytime by:</p>
<ol>
<li>Identifying an area of human rights that relates to a behaviour observed in your classroom. </li>
<li>Finding a children’s book that focuses on that behaviour (a work of literature rather than a didactic tale or non-fiction). </li>
<li>Reviewing the UNCRC to select relevant articles. </li>
<li>Designing activities and projects that bring together the book and the articles. </li>
<li>Following up with discussion questions to ensure that children are taking away points of key importance.</li>
</ol><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82890/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Superle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new mentorship program uses fiction to teach children’s rights, and to help kids understand and prevent bullying.Michelle Superle, Assistant Professor, University of The Fraser ValleyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/821122017-08-20T22:03:31Z2017-08-20T22:03:31ZHow to choose picture books that will empower, not damage, a child<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182525/original/file-20170818-11478-p7ygxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Snow White and other stories from Grimms' Fairy Tales offer examples of abusive "childism" in children's literature. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Wikamedia Commons)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For centuries, most children’s books reinforced messages that children are unimportant, incompetent and powerless. Children need to shape up and adopt adults’ values. Children must change to fit into an adult world. </p>
<p>Today, it’s easy recognize these books as “childist.”</p>
<p>Fortunately more and more children’s books today provide a different set of messages — empowering ones. If you support, respect, encourage and even admire children, then you’ll want to give them books that help them thrive and meet their full potential. In other words, you’ll want to choose “child-centered” books instead of “childist” ones. </p>
<h2>Lack of respect</h2>
<p>Childism is prejudice against children. The concept of childism has been most fully developed by the psychoanalyst <a href="http://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300192407/childism">Elizabeth Young-Bruehl</a>, who defines it as the belief that, based on their age, children as a category are less valuable and less capable than adults. This prejudice, resting on the assumption that adults and their needs are unquestionably superior to children and their needs, is widespread and damaging. It’s the root of all forms of child abuse. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182536/original/file-20170818-30283-fpqnwh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182536/original/file-20170818-30283-fpqnwh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182536/original/file-20170818-30283-fpqnwh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182536/original/file-20170818-30283-fpqnwh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182536/original/file-20170818-30283-fpqnwh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182536/original/file-20170818-30283-fpqnwh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182536/original/file-20170818-30283-fpqnwh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Silhouettes of the children in <em>Hansel and Gretel</em> and the witch who trapped and planned to eat them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Wikimedia Commons/Collin Knopp-Schwyn and Immanuel Giel)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But Young-Bruehl also points out that childism is much more subtle than outright abuse. It is engrained in our attitudes — often on a subconscious level. You can believe that you “love kids” while perpetuating (non-abusive) childist actions. Childism happens when we refuse to acknowledge children’s right to voice their opinions on matters that affect them. It happens when we fail to respect the validity of their daily and developmental realities. It happens when we compare them to animals. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182529/original/file-20170818-2389-13lmjip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182529/original/file-20170818-2389-13lmjip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182529/original/file-20170818-2389-13lmjip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182529/original/file-20170818-2389-13lmjip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182529/original/file-20170818-2389-13lmjip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182529/original/file-20170818-2389-13lmjip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182529/original/file-20170818-2389-13lmjip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An image of the evil fairy who curses the young princess in <em>Sleeping Beauty</em>.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Wikimedia Commons)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As Young-Bruehl <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=9z6lzlzIDQ4C&pg=PA18&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false">explains</a>, childism comprises: “The prevailing images or stereotypes of children that individual adults and societies use to rationalize their feelings towards them.” </p>
<p>Knowing this, it becomes more clear how children’s books can be childist. They are a vast repository of images and stereotypes captured in print. Because they are distributed to children, they can perpetuate childism by priming even the youngest readers to take for granted a social hierarchy where adults hold all the power. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182528/original/file-20170818-28181-30qvb1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182528/original/file-20170818-28181-30qvb1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182528/original/file-20170818-28181-30qvb1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182528/original/file-20170818-28181-30qvb1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182528/original/file-20170818-28181-30qvb1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182528/original/file-20170818-28181-30qvb1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182528/original/file-20170818-28181-30qvb1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In <em>Cinderella</em>, a young girl is abused by her stepmother and two stepsisters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Wikimedia Commons/Elena Ringo)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In fact, one of the bestselling picture books of all time, the contemporary classic <a href="http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/241921/guess-how-much-i-love-you-20th-anniversary-edition#9780763674489">Guess How Much I Love You</a> spins on childism. The story validates Big Nutbrown Hare’s superiority by consistently showing him as bigger, stronger and smarter than Little Nutbrown Hare. </p>
<p>Unlike many contemporary picture books, there is no surprise reversal at the end of the story that reveals the child’s power and value. Instead, Big is granted the last word. Readers are left with nothing but confirmation that Little should internalize his inferior status. </p>
<h2>Shattering the hierarchy</h2>
<p>But there’s good news. Children’s books also have the power to counter childism. Fictional representations of child and adult characters can encourage readers to accept existing social structures, which privilege adults, or they can question or even shatter this hierarchy. </p>
<p>A few scholars of children’s literature have examined the most severe forms of <a href="https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2013.0099">abusive childism in stories</a> for middle grade readers. These include the Grimms’ Fairy Tales, which the American academic <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/13/books/children-s-books-child-abuse-and-happy-endings.html">Jack Zipes has described</a> as revealing the ambivalence of parents towards their children, including a desire to abandon them and feelings of shame when they abuse them. </p>
<p>We also need to be aware of the potential for more subtle childism in any children’s book. This is especially important in the case of picture books for very young children, as these works of print media provide children with some of their earliest examples of social structures. For better or for worse, picture books do influence <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022977317864">how children view and value themselves</a> and others. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182521/original/file-20170818-28151-16bzzu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182521/original/file-20170818-28151-16bzzu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182521/original/file-20170818-28151-16bzzu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182521/original/file-20170818-28151-16bzzu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182521/original/file-20170818-28151-16bzzu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182521/original/file-20170818-28151-16bzzu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182521/original/file-20170818-28151-16bzzu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Popular classic <em>Guess How Much I Love You</em>.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In my own work, I have suggested that using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as a <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/628009">lens for discussing children’s empowerment</a> (or lack thereof) is one way for academics to become more aware of childism in children’s literature. </p>
<p>But for the rest of us at home, it needn’t be so complicated when we choose books for the young children in our lives.</p>
<h2>Your picture book library</h2>
<p>Parents and teachers can easily assess how child-centered a picture book is with a series of simple questions. You can ask whether the book proceeds from a child-centered foundation that acknowledges children’s uniqueness, competence and curiosity. </p>
<p>Does the picture book challenge child readers through its format, content and rich language? Does it invite active involvement and problem solving from the reader?</p>
<p>You can also consider the literary constructions at play by looking at how child characters are portrayed. To do so, ask whether the book provides representations of children that:</p>
<ol>
<li>Acknowledge children’s competence.</li>
<li>Value children’s contributions to their families and communities.</li>
<li>Position children and adults as allies in collaborative, mutually beneficial relationships.</li>
<li>Validate children’s experiences as meaningful and valuable.</li>
<li>Give voice to children’s authentic values and concerns.</li>
</ol>
<p>Few picture books tick all these boxes. Many contain both childist and child-centered qualities. In general, though, a child-centered picture book empowers child readers through its foundation of respect for children. Instead of prescribing what children should be like, child-centered picture books confirm that children are valuable members of society right now, just as they are. </p>
<h2>Six illustrated favourites</h2>
<p>Here are some of my favourite child-centered picture books from Canadian publishers: </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182546/original/file-20170818-11478-yx2dpx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182546/original/file-20170818-11478-yx2dpx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182546/original/file-20170818-11478-yx2dpx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182546/original/file-20170818-11478-yx2dpx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182546/original/file-20170818-11478-yx2dpx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182546/original/file-20170818-11478-yx2dpx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182546/original/file-20170818-11478-yx2dpx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"><em>Are You an Echo</em>, by Misuzu Kaneko.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2><a href="http://misuzukaneko.com/index.php/are-you-an-echo/"><em>Are You an Echo</em></a></h2>
<p>Written by Misuzu Kaneko.
Illustrated by Toshikado Hajiri.
Translated by David Jacobson, Sally Ito and Michiko Tsuboi.
(2016, Chin Music Press.)</p>
<p><em>Are You an Echo</em> incorporates poetry into its narrative to show that children are capable of thinking deeply and philosophically.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182543/original/file-20170818-28171-19ykbzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182543/original/file-20170818-28171-19ykbzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=594&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182543/original/file-20170818-28171-19ykbzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=594&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182543/original/file-20170818-28171-19ykbzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=594&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182543/original/file-20170818-28171-19ykbzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=746&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182543/original/file-20170818-28171-19ykbzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=746&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182543/original/file-20170818-28171-19ykbzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=746&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"><em>Little You</em>, by Richard Van Camp.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2><a href="http://www.orcabook.com/Little-You-P827.aspx"><em>Little You</em></a></h2>
<p>Written by Richard Van Camp.
Illustrated by: Julie Flett.
(2013, Orca Book Publishers.)</p>
<p><em>Little You</em> bestows respect, value and validation on all children. In this book, worth is offered to children simply for being “you”.</p>
<h2><a href="http://www.deborahunderwoodbooks.com/Deborah-Underwood-The-Quiet-Book.html"><em>The Quiet Book</em></a></h2>
<p>Written by Deborah Underwood.
Illustrated by Renata Liwska.
(2010, Houghton Mifflin.)</p>
<p>This book acknowledges that children are sensitive to life’s subtleties and fully capable of quiet introspection. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182540/original/file-20170818-28163-pb3n1y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182540/original/file-20170818-28163-pb3n1y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=669&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182540/original/file-20170818-28163-pb3n1y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=669&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182540/original/file-20170818-28163-pb3n1y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=669&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182540/original/file-20170818-28163-pb3n1y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182540/original/file-20170818-28163-pb3n1y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182540/original/file-20170818-28163-pb3n1y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"><em>Noisy Poems for a Busy Day</em>, by Robert Heidbreder.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2><a href="http://www.kidscanpress.com/products/noisy-poems-busy-day"><em>Noisy Poems for a Busy Day</em></a></h2>
<p>Written by Robert Heidbreder.
Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith.
(2012, Kids Can Press.)</p>
<p><em>Noisy Poems for a Busy Day</em> uses delightful language and poetry to validate children’s daily realities from dawn through dusk. </p>
<h2><a href="http://www.annickpress.com/Man-with-the-Violin-The"><em>The Man with the Violin</em></a></h2>
<p>Written by Kathy Stinson.
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić.
(2013, Annick Press.)</p>
<p><em>The Man with the Violin</em> celebrates children’s value systems, which privilege creativity over rigidly time-bound schedules.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182531/original/file-20170818-20319-1whyb2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182531/original/file-20170818-20319-1whyb2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=811&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182531/original/file-20170818-20319-1whyb2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=811&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182531/original/file-20170818-20319-1whyb2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=811&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182531/original/file-20170818-20319-1whyb2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1019&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182531/original/file-20170818-20319-1whyb2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1019&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/182531/original/file-20170818-20319-1whyb2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1019&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"><em>Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress</em>, by Christine Baldacchino.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2><a href="https://houseofanansi.com/products/morris-micklewhite-and-the-tangerine-dress"><em>Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress</em></a></h2>
<p>Written by Christine Baldacchino.
Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant.
(2014, Anansi Press.)</p>
<p>This book promises that uniqueness is a gift and celebrates a child whose difference initially alienates his friends.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82112/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Superle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For centuries, most children’s books reinforced messages that children are unimportant, incompetent and powerless. Children need to shape up and adopt adults’ values. Children must change to fit into an…Michelle Superle, Assistant Professor, University of The Fraser ValleyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/775052017-05-17T19:26:20Z2017-05-17T19:26:20ZKids on social grants are less likely to be obese. They also go to school earlier<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169129/original/file-20170512-3652-3q45ld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Enrolling children in in pre-school is essential for their development.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cusd/8208379556/">Flickr</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children whose parents or caregivers receive South Africa’s child support grant are less likely to be overweight or suffer from obesity. They’re also more likely to attend pre-school than those whose households don’t get a grant. </p>
<p>These are the key findings from our study, which looked at how children who received the child support grant fared with those who didn’t receive the grant. The study focused on children aged five to 14 years old.</p>
<p>Health, education and an adequate standard of living is central to <a href="https://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf">a child’s development</a>, enabling them to become productive members of society in later years of life.</p>
<p>South Africa’s child support grant is the country’s <a href="https://www.unicef.org/southafrica/SAF_resources_csg2012book.pdf">most successful</a> poverty alleviating intervention. Almost <a href="http://www.childrencount.org.za/indicator.php?id=2&indicator=10">12 million children</a> live with caregivers who receive R380 a month to meet basic needs. These include access to health care, education and an adequate standard of living.</p>
<p>South Africa’s social security system is one of the most advanced and wide reaching in the developing world, similar in range and impact to Brazil’s cash transfer programme. </p>
<p>A large body of evidence has shown the positive effects of South Africa’s social grants. To determine them, our study looked at two measures among children whose caregivers received the grant: their health in the form of their Body Mass Index (BMI), and their enrolment in education. BMI is the measure of body fat based on weight in relation to height. It can be used as an indicator of obesity – <a href="https://www.gems.gov.za/default.aspx?jHVyCDsvs4U4gesx1Tp6ww==">a growing problem</a> in many parts of the world, including South Africa. </p>
<p>We found that children whose caregivers received the grant were more likely to have a normal BMI than those who didn’t and therefore less likely to be overweight or obese. And their caregivers were more likely to enrol them in pre-primary schools than those not receiving the grant.</p>
<p>This adds to the body of knowledge showing that the grant <a href="http://www.ci.org.za/depts/ci/pubs/pdf/general/gauge2016/Child_Gauge_2016-children_count_income_poverty_unemployment.pdf">enables</a> caregivers to make healthier food choices and provides them with the means to send their children to school earlier. </p>
<h2>Disadvantaged children</h2>
<p>Early enrolment in education and obesity are both big challenges in South Africa. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/in-south-africa-childhood-hunger-and-obesity-live-side-by-side-43805">Obesity</a> is not only the manifestation of overeating. It can also be caused by eating food that has poor nutritional value and is high in fats and sugar. </p>
<p>Overweight children have a <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-south-africa-childhood-hunger-and-obesity-live-side-by-side-43805">greater risk</a> of developing lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease later in life. In South Africa childhood obesity is increasing. More than a quarter of children between the ages of two and 14 years are obese. In our study, 9% of children who received the child support grant were obese compared to 12% who did not. </p>
<p>At the same time, <a href="http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-05-17-suffer-the-children-sas-inequality-strikes-hardest-where-it-hurts-the-most/">63% of children</a> younger than 18 live below the poverty line. And <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-child-malnutrition-is-still-a-problem-in-south-africa-22-years-into-democracy-60224">close to 30%</a> of children younger than three are stunted. Stunting is a result of under-nutrition, which in turn hampers the way a child’s brain develops.</p>
<p>Research shows that children living in poverty and who are stunted <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(16)30266-2/fulltext">go to school later</a>. Our findings show that children whose caregivers received the child support grant were more likely to enrol in early childhood development programmes. </p>
<p>It also found that the impact of the grant on child health and education was evident despite household circumstances such as income poverty and limited access to basic services. </p>
<p>We analysed data collected as part of the <a href="http://www.nids.uct.ac.za/">National Income Dynamics Survey</a>. a government funded study that’s repeated every two to three years. </p>
<p>The findings showed that in addition to the child support grant, other factors also influenced children’s development. For example, basic services such as water and electricity were also linked to the early educational enrolment and better child health. This confirms previous <a href="http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/departments/education-and-skills-development/timsssa">research</a>. </p>
<p>Our findings are also in line with studies in Latin America about the benefit of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-brazil-can-teach-the-world-about-tackling-child-malnutrition-64652">Brazilian Bolsa Familia</a> – a conditional cash transfer programme that requires families to comply with certain health and education conditions before getting the grant. </p>
<h2>Added services are a must</h2>
<p>The South African government has highlighted the importance of access to quality early stimulation, education and care for all children. Our research shows that this is becoming a reality for children who receive the child support grant, with likely positive long-term benefits.</p>
<p>On top of this there’s growing evidence that grants reduce poverty and inequality. This is because they enable money to be spent on higher quality food and school related expenses. This means that children stay in school.</p>
<p>Our study also confirms <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-brazil-can-teach-the-world-about-tackling-child-malnutrition-64652">global evidence</a> that social grants need to be accompanied by basic services to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to develop optimally.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77505/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Child support grants are an income resource that enables caregivers to make healthier food choices and provide the means to send their children to school earlier.Jenita Chiba, Researcher, University of JohannesburgJacqueline Moodley, Researcher, University of JohannesburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/386812015-03-11T17:37:07Z2015-03-11T17:37:07ZRepublican open opposition to agreement with Iran consistent with longstanding tradition<p>This week’s open declaration of hostility by 47 Republican senators to any US agreement with Iran has generated much <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/09/world/middleeast/document-the-letter-senate-republicans-addressed-to-the-leaders-of-iran.html?_r=1">handwringing</a> about the state of American domestic politics. The tone and manner of their open letter has drawn its fair share of opprobrium.</p>
<p>Vice-President Joe Biden was quick to respond with his own <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/11/us/biden-rebukes-senate-republicans-over-letter-to-iran.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0">open letter</a> upbraiding his colleagues. This will cynically be regarded by some as the unofficial launch of his presidential campaign should Hillary Clinton falter in face of her latest scandal regarding her personal email.<br>
Regardless of Biden’s motives, there is little doubt that the Republicans were modestly original in the way they sent their message. </p>
<p>As President Obama emphatically responded, the negotiation of such an agreement lies well within his jurisdiction. What he didn’t mention – and we should note – is that the US has a solid history of negotiating international agreements that the Congress has failed to ratify or of having them stifled before they even got off the drawing board. </p>
<p>Many of these decisions have stained our international reputation and thus our credibility abroad. But in many cases presidents have found ways to work around Congress’s refusal to cooperate.</p>
<h2>The precedents are many</h2>
<p>Let’s take a minute to review our “walk of shame” down non-ratified lane. The list is too long to review in its entirety here. But there are some extraordinary ones.</p>
<p>Well, let’s start with a bang. Did you know that only the US and South Sudan have failed ratify the <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx">Convention on the Rights of the Child</a>? President Obama has described this as “embarrassing.” But neither he nor Bill Clinton (president when it was signed in 1995) submitted it to the Senate for ratification because of the opposition of conservative Republicans who claimed it would subvert the US Constitution.</p>
<p>This past Sunday, March 8, was International Women’s Day. But did you know that although we signed it in 1980, we never ratified the UN’s <a href="http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/">Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women</a>? Yes, the US is one of only eight countries in the world <a href="http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R40750.pdf">not to do so</a>. </p>
<p>All those places that we abhor because of the way that they treat women: well, most of them have signed and ratified it. Okay, most of them don’t enforce it. But the symbolic message our refusal to ratify it sends to the world is important. And yet Congress failed to ratify it after Jimmy Carter signed it in 1979. Guess why? Continued Republican opposition. </p>
<p>And to complete our unholy trinity, we signed but never ratified the <a href="http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml">Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities</a>. The US signed it in 2009. Yet the Senate failed by five votes to secure the two-thirds majority needed in the face of … <a href="http://www.usicd.org/index.cfm/crpd">conservative opposition</a>. </p>
<p>But our political process doesn’t just subvert important human rights legislation. It also gets in the way when it comes to national security issues as well. </p>
<h2>Running interference on national security</h2>
<p>For example, we signed but never ratified the critical Strategic Arms Limitations Agreement II (SALT II) negotiated by Jimmy Carter with the Soviets in the 1970s. </p>
<p>This was <a href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/salt">because:</a> </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“a broad coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats grew increasingly skeptical of the Soviet Union’s crackdown on internal dissent, its increasingly interventionist foreign policies, and the verification process delineated in the Treaty.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Then there are the ones we didn’t even bother to sign, in large part because the president at the time realized that ratification was a nonstarter and they had other fish to fry. This category includes the Global Landmine Treaty and the 2010 Convention on Cluster Munitions, the latter under President Obama’s watch.</p>
<p>Maybe you’ll not be as surprised to discover that we didn’t sign the <a href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/disappearance-convention.htm">International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance</a> or the <a href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cat-one.htm">Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture</a> which was first adopted in 2002, when George W. Bush was president.</p>
<p>I could go on. But you get the point. </p>
<h2>American exceptionalism</h2>
<p>Congress – and specifically the US Senate – has a long history of subverting international agreements, even ones that most Americans would regard as noncontroversial.</p>
<p>The justification for this obstruction is generally consistent: either we want to preserve our sovereignty, or the agreement risks infringing on our “inalienable rights” or the sanctity of our constitution. </p>
<p>When one of those arguments fails there is always the demand for an American exemption. </p>
<p>When debating whether to join the International Criminal Court, for example, Congress insisted that Americans be immune from prosecution. </p>
<p>The claim for exceptional American treatment also explains the hostility to signing and ratifying the Landmine Treaty. Both the president and Congress demanded a special exemption for the demilitarized zone on the North Korean border to protect our troops stationed there.</p>
<p>The US system is designed to allow Congress to subvert or constrain international agreements. Yet presidents have often found ways around these limitations. </p>
<p>In fact, even though the US never signed it, our government <a href="http://www.state.gov/t/pm/wra/c12023.htm">spends more</a> on actually implementing the terms of the Global Landmines Treaty than any other country on earth. </p>
<p>By comparison to the disruption and stain to America’s reputation that many of these Congressional actions caused, the latest rumblings about an agreement with Iran are relatively small in scope – and surmountable since the main outcome is simply that the Senate may never ratify the agreement. </p>
<p>The point being that history suggests that Congressional opposition is more symbolic than effective as a deterrent.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/38681/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
This week’s open declaration of hostility by 47 Republican senators to any US agreement with Iran has generated much handwringing about the state of American domestic politics. The tone and manner of their…Simon Reich, Professor in The Division of Global Affairs and The Department of Political Science, Rutgers UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/354952014-12-25T19:40:08Z2014-12-25T19:40:08Z2014: the year international surrogacy came to the fore<p>This year the international spotlight turned with full-force on cross-border commercial surrogacy. The reality of children being born this way and the potentially devastating consequences of babies being abandoned and stateless shocked our collective consciousness.</p>
<p>Such was <a href="https://theconversation.com/baby-gammy-tales-of-the-unexpecting-30339">the case of Baby Gammy</a>, born with Down syndrome and left in Thailand with his surrogate mother by commissioning parents David and Wendy Farnell. His story made the Australian public confront the often-disturbing reality of the international commercial surrogacy industry. </p>
<p>This industry provides on-demand, made-to-order children, allowing commissioning clients to circumvent the often prohibitive laws on commercial surrogacy in their home countries. It is a high-risk, high-stakes transaction for all involved. </p>
<p>Through Baby Gammy and more recently, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-08/high-commission-knew-of-surrogacy-case-in-india/5799438">the situation of a twin-child left in India</a> by Australian commissioning parents (which senior Australian judges have said may amount to child-trafficking), we have witnessed the heightened vulnerability of children born this way. </p>
<h2>A problematic practice</h2>
<p>When I began working on international surrogacy issues in 2009, there was little public awareness about people from Australasia having children in places such as India and Thailand through surrogate mothers. The fact that such children were sometimes conceived using the eggs or sperm from third parties in other countries was even less known.</p>
<p>Fast-forward to 2014, and times have somewhat changed. Far less explanation is necessary about what international surrogacy is and what it entails. But reactions still range from the morally outraged, to a permissive “why not?” attitude.</p>
<p>Yet despite more community understanding, ignorance surrounding the ethical, legal, and human rights challenges triggered by the practice persists. And this gap means positive action to protect children in international commercial surrogacy in a comprehensive and systematic manner is seriously lacking. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx">United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child</a> states all children have rights to nationality, birth registration, preservation of their identity, to be cared for in a family environment, know their parents, not be discriminated against and not be sold or trafficked. Children with disabilities have additional particular rights. </p>
<p>But children born through international commercial surrogacy are routinely at risk of having these rights violated. Indeed, many children born this way have ended up stateless and stranded in their birth country (for example, <a href="https://web.duke.edu/kenanethics/CaseStudies/BabyManji.pdf">Baby Manji</a>, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/26/AR2011022601088.html">Baby Samuel Ghilain</a>, and the <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/German-surrogate-twins-to-go-home/articleshow/5978925.cms">Balaz</a> and <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Stateless-twins-live-in-limbo/articleshow/7407929.cms">Volden</a> twins). </p>
<p>Some have been left without legal status and legally recognised parents (as in the <a href="http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/webservices/content/pdf/003-4804617-5854908">Mennesson and Labassee cases</a>, recently adjudicated by the European Court of Human Rights), or abandoned, devoid of a family environment. </p>
<p>The vast majority of children born through international commercial surrogacy face difficulties in preserving aspects of their identity due to the involvement of anonymous genetic donor parents, surrogate mothers, and the fact they’re born with the intention of being supplanted into another country and culture. </p>
<p>Indeed, international commercial surrogacy is arguably a market in which children are bought and sold; where they are commodities at risk of trafficking. This raises questions about whether this practice can ever be consistent with our internationally agreed ban on the sale of children. </p>
<h2>The right focus</h2>
<p>Despite these problems, the practice shows no sign of waning. In India alone, although reliable data is lacking, the surrogacy industry is reportedly worth between <a href="http://www.womenleadership.in/Csr/SurrogacyReport.pdf">US$450 million</a> to <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-otherstates/activists-call-for-stringent-regulations-for-surrogacy/article6348214.ece">US$2.3 billion</a>. And it continues to grow. People from Australia and other developed countries drive demand, despite the many cautionary tales of what can and, sometimes does, go wrong.</p>
<p>We must agree, at national, regional, and global levels that children and protection of their rights must be at the heart of any approach dealing with international commercial surrogacy. A starting point for achieving this is the protection framework provided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.</p>
<p>That framework should inform the development of national legislation and policy regulating international commercial surrogacy (immediate, short-term goal), as well as an international regulatory framework (long-term goal). </p>
<p>What’s more, national and international efforts must make human rights protection their core focus. Both better national legislation and international agreement is urgently needed to deal with currently conflicting national laws and protection gaps jeopardising the child’s rights.</p>
<p>Placing the central focus on children does not mean the rights and interests of other people involved in international surrogacy are not at risk. They are, and they require protection too. The human rights of women acting as surrogates are particularly important, given they may not – in developing countries at least – become surrogates of their own free will. And they may be open to exploitation, including <a href="ftp://ftp2.allianceantitrafic.org/alliancea/001%20%20Vietnam/ReportFinal_SurrogacyCase_RoleAAT+PressReview.pdf">human trafficking</a>.</p>
<p>We must act now to prevent international commercial surrogacy from developing further as an international human rights problem affecting a new generation of children and those who bring them into the world.</p>
<p>Work on the legal, ethical, cultural, and health issues raised by international commercial surrogacy is necessary and much needed. But the human rights issues it raises remain the most pressing. In particular, we must focus on the child, born into a situation of significant human rights risk through no fault of their own.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Achmad does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>This year the international spotlight turned with full-force on cross-border commercial surrogacy. The reality of children being born this way and the potentially devastating consequences of babies being…Claire Achmad, PhD Candidate, Department of Child Law, Leiden UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.