This article explores how five children born in Sweden whose parents were born in Iran talk about their own cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and the role these play in their lives. The different ways in which they do so exemplify the complexity involved in the ongoing construction and performance of identities when certain identity options seem…

This article explores children's participation in research, from the perspectives of researchers who have conducted research with children. Researchers' reports, gained using an email interviewing method, suggest that children's participation rights are particularly compromised when the potential child participants are considered vulnerable and…

Recent legislative enactments have altered the boundary between US juvenile and criminal justice systems. Youth that were previously adjudicated as juveniles are increasingly being labeled "adults" and tried in the criminal court. This article begins with a review of policy and practice changes in the transfer of children to the criminal…

Analyzes murder case of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey as emblematic of American cultural fascination with images of the innocence of children and the perfect family, and of a change in cultural self-awareness as these images prove illusionary. Considers the role of mass media in marketing a cultural fascination with sexualized images of children and…

Discusses the influence of Sharon Stephens' anthropological work on child welfare and children's rights, and how Stephens' essentially moral approach led her to insist that policy consequences of various constructions are real outcomes experienced in everyday life. Considers effects of colonial globalization on childhood, developing constructs of…

The article reports from a qualitative study of family group conferencing in Wales. Family group conferences are meetings of extended family networks that are convened in order to plan for a child's care and welfare. They are an attempt to enable families to have a greater say in welfare decisions and often particularly encourage children's…

Examines success in adjusting domestic laws in Latin America to standards set forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Maintains that there has not been comparable improvement in service provision to poor children, due to structural constraints limiting the pace of reforms. Provides historical clues for understanding current challenges…

Analyzes the development of collective interest in children's moral and physical well-being. Proposes alleviation of the dichotomy between "moral progress" and the "discourse of suspicion" which sees reform as the imposition of one social group over another. Discusses and illustrates trends with data from the Children's Aid Society and the New…

Uses the 1988 film "A World Apart" as a focus for commentary on the controversial topic of involving children in political activism. Analyzes Hannah Arendt's writings for opinions on childhood activism, contrasting Arendt's views with those of Robert Coles. Gives examples from the desegregation crisis in the United States, China's Maoist…

Examines representations of street children and child and youth prostitution disseminated through literature and by international and Brazilian media during the 1980s and 1990s. Argues that dissemination of images that stigmatize the poor is caused by the need of the media and of modern philanthropy to make an impact on the public. (Author)

Examines mainly practical activities of trade unions to fight child labor. Argues that trade unions can give the most significant contribution to the struggle against child labor by focusing on methods that are typical for, or even exclusive to, the trade union movement, in particular negotiations and collective bargaining. (Author)

Discusses the nature of child domestic work (children employed as servants in the households of families other than their own). Suggests a number of practical steps that can be taken to ensure that child domestic workers are afforded a measure of protection which they do not currently receive. (Author)

Explores tensions between universalistic and relativistic approaches in the establishment of standards and strategies designed to prevent or overcome the abuse of children's capacity to work. Tensions are discussed within the context of the International Labour Office's proposed new international convention on the prohibition and elimination of…

Details part of a larger project undertaken by Swedish Save the Children in order to inform the current debate about child labor with evidence from working children engaged in a range of occupations, in contrasting regions of the world. Summarizes issues, children's occupational preferences, and views on work and school. (SD)

Analyzes the history of public concern regarding children's rights in the 20th century. Details the political process leading to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ratification of the Convention, and its political effects, and presents hypotheses regarding determinants of the Convention's worldwide impact. Notes areas where…