The greatest promise of international human rights law is in stimulating thoughtful self-examination by those who strive to do what is right. Perhaps more than any other instrument, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC; 1989) offers the opportunity to use a global moral consensus to transform life at the neighborhood level in order to…

Several Supreme Court decisions in the last 15 years have demonstrated expanding recognition of the rights of minors and other dependent groups. At the same time, these recent trends have engendered conflicts concerning minors' competence to make judgments, relationships between child and family autonomy, and differing interests in child advocacy.…

The article details statements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, addressing respect for dignity; the "children first" principle; protection of personal integrity; protection from exploitation; consideration of cultural heritage; and rights to a family environment, to assistance when in the state's care, to…

Issues in child policy are often obscured by symbolic debates about the nature of child development and family life. There is a need for greater care in the identification of the interests at stake and articulation of the normative foundation for various policies and programs. The Convention on the Rights of the Child carries an implicit…

Child and family policy often has been based on myths of childhood and family life instead of on empirical evidence. As a result policy tends to reflect irrational bases and conflicting goals. Psychologists can act as advocates by clarifying these myths for policymakers in family law. (Author/VM)

Explicates the rationale for efforts to promote the participation of children (and their parents and other interested adults) to help them feel that they are heard, noting the framework that is currently in place in most western countries, explaining this effort's foundation in international human rights law, and describing ways that it can be…

Although the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child has been criticized as antifamily because of its emphasis on family function rather than form, careful reading shows that it is not only supportive of strong families but offers a creative and conceptually coherent foundation for government action to promote and protect family life. (SLD)

Summarizes author's expert witness testimony in West Virginia court case (1985) involving prayer in public schools. Covers the constitutional issue of separation of church and state, the specific issue of school prayer, the particular law under legal challenge, and the perceptions of a Catholic boy and a Jewish girl directly affected. (NH)

Current presumptions about adolescents' incompetence as decision makers are largely unsupported by psychological research. There are psychological and social benefits in recognizing adolescents as autonomous persons with independent interests in liberty and privacy. Policymakers should consider adolescents' rights in decisions concerning…