Sociological Approaches to Children鈥檚 Rights
Using Young Lives research findings to examine the intersections of poverty and children鈥檚 work in India
Abstract
With contributions from a wide range of international scholars, the brings together research, theory, and practice from diverse perspectives on children鈥檚 rights. This volume constitutes a comprehensive treatment of critical perspectives concerning children鈥檚 rights in their various forms. Its contributions address some of the major scholarly tensions and policy debates comprising the current discourse on children鈥檚 rights, including the best interests of the child, evolving capacities of the child, states鈥� rights versus children鈥檚 rights, rights of children versus parental or family rights, children as citizens, children鈥檚 rights versus children鈥檚 responsibilities, and balancing protection and participation. In addition to its multidisciplinary focus, the handbook includes perspectives from social science domains in which children鈥檚 rights scholarship has evolved largely independently due to distinct and seemingly competing assumptions and disciplinary approaches (e.g., childhood studies, developmental psychology, sociology of childhood, anthropology, and political science). The handbook also brings together diverse methodological approaches to the study of children鈥檚 rights, including both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, and policy analysis.
Chapter 8 discusses children鈥檚 rights from a sociological perspective. The chapter starts by defining the discipline of sociology, then briefly discusses rights (and some of problems with current conceptualisations of right) within contemporary legal and political discourse. The authors propose that a sociological approach helps to advance understandings of why rights can be difficult to realise. They describe the development of the sub-discipline of the sociology of childhood, and its potential contribution to policy and practice with respect to children鈥檚 rights, highlighting the importance of research that is based on children鈥檚 experiences. Using Young Lives research findings, the second part of the chapter examines the intersections of poverty and children鈥檚 work in India, to illustrate how sociological approaches can bring 鈥榬ights鈥� into the debates about child labour in a useful way.
Young Lives is an international study of childhood poverty, following the lives of 12,000 children in 4 countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam) over 15 years. Young Lives is funded by the UK Department for International Development.
Citation
Virginia Morrow and Kirrily Pells (2016), 鈥楽ociological Approaches to Children鈥檚 Rights鈥� chapter in Handbook of Children鈥檚 Rights: Global and Multidisciplinary Perspectives鈥� edited by Martin D. Ruck, Michele Peterson-Badali and Michael Freeman, Routledge