The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which was adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, marked a turning point in the perception of children in international law and policy. Although it was hoped that the Convention would have a significant and positive impact on the lives of all children, this has not happened in many parts of the world. This edited volume, based on empirical research and Non-Governmental Organisation project data, explores the progress of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to a lesser extent, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, in nine African countries in the 25 years since it was adopted by the UN General Assembly.
The book considers the implementation of the Convention both in terms of policy and practice, and its impact on the lived experiences of children in societies across the continent, focusing on specific themes such as HIV/AIDS, education and disability, child labour, witchcraft stigmatisation, street children, parent-child relationships and child participation. The book breaks new ground in blending legal and social perspectives of the experiences of children, and identifies concrete ways forward for the better implementation of the CRC treaty in the various political contexts that exist in Africa.
1. Reasling Children's Rights in Africa: An Introduction, Afua Twum-Danso Imoh 2. Conflicting Protectionist and Participation Models of Children's Rights: Their consequences for Uganda's Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Kristen E. Cheney 3. Children's Rights in the Time of AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Amy Norman 4. Earning Rights: Discourses on Children's Rights and Proper Childhood in Ethiopia, Tatek Abebe and Tamirat Tefera 5. Children's Rights in the DRC and Neoliberal Reforms: The Case of Mines in the Province of Katanga, Géraldine André and Marie Godin 6. Children's Participation in Prohibited Work and its Implications for the CRC, Samuel Okyere 7. What can Children's Rights Mean when Children are Struggling to Survive? The Case of Chiweshe, Zimbabwe, Michael Bourdillon and Eve Musvosvi 8. In the Best Interests of the Child: The Case of Child Domestic Workers in Ghana and Nigeria, Evelyn Omoike 9. Why are Aspirations for Children in Tanzania not Translating into Substantive Change, Kate McAlpine 10. Accessing and Participating in Education in Lesotho: Children in the Early Years with Special Needs, Jacqui O’Riordan, James Urwick, Matemoho Khatleli, Stella Long, Grace Ntaote, Florence Nyakudya and Nthabeleng Maketela 11. Barriers to the Effective Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, Emilie Secker 12. Progressing Street Children's Rights and Participation in Policy: Evidence from the South Africa, Lorraine van Blerk 13. Making the Case for a Broader Definition of Child Participation: Evidence from the Niver Delta of Nigeria, Samuel Okyere and Afua Twum-Danso Imoh 14. The Convention on the Rights of the Child: advancing social justice for African children?, Nicola Ansell
This series contains thought-provoking and original scholarship on human rights law. The books address civil and political rights as well social, cultural and economic rights, and explore international, regional and domestic legal orders. The legal status, content, obligations and application of specific rights will be analysed as well as treaties, mechanisms and institutions designed to promote and protect rights.