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20th Century Children’s Rights
Early 20th Century • The Children’s Right Movement is both a historical and modern movement working on the acknowledgment, and expansion of child rights. In the early 20th century moves began to promote the idea of children’s rights as distinct from those of adults • Even though the children’s rights movement has started as early as the eighteenth century, it wasn’t till the 20th century that children started to be viewed as more then a labor worker or for their economic value. • The movement at first was just to protect children from hard labor and then turned into something organized and very influential.
Methods for Change • Gregory Kingsley inspired many children when he took legal action into his own hands when it came to divorcing from his parents. • Leaders made children their own Convention. Separating their rights from adults. • Unicef campaigns for changes to legislation, policy and practice to ensure they best protect children, both at a local and national level. • Unicef allows everyone to engage directly with their campaigns. Their campaigners are good at getting their message across and showing the strength of public support for making changes for children. • In Montreal the first nationwide Canadian campaign to combat the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism was officially launched. This marks International Children’s Rights Day.
Gregory Kingsley Court Case • Gregory Kingsley wanted to divorce his parents after he decided that he was now settled in with his foster family • The judge deemed that Gregory had the same rights as an adult to fight for his own interests and ruled that the child could file his petition for the divorce. • After a two day trial the judge ruled that Gregory had been neglected and abandoned by his parents. The judge then terminated their parental rights before rewarding full custody of the boy to the foster parents Afterwards • This case had inspired another child, Kimberly Mays. This 17 year old girl who was switched at birth decided to take similar legal measures to divorce herself from her biological parents who tried to sue for full custody of her when she wanted to remain with the man who raised her.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child • The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international tool used to form the full range of human rights; civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. • In 1989 world leaders decided that children needed their own convention because people under 18 years of age mainly need special care and protection that adults don’t need. Leaders also wanted to ensure that the world recognized that children also have human rights. • The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It describes the basic human rights that every child has. • The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.
Present Day Children’s rights movement has become global. Child Labor is still present in some parts of the world but is very rare in Canada. Children now have a right to protection from abuse, exploitation etc. They have the right to play an active role in society and have their basic needs met. Canadian children are now able to work at a younger age getting paid minimum wage or more and thanks to Gregory Kingsley children are now able to divorce their parents if necessary.
Sources http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Children's+Rights http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~rvolpe/rights.html http://www.loc.gov/law/help/child-rights/index.php
