Rights and responsibilities are enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. These rights are the basic rights of every human being. This study focuses on the rights and responsibilities of Grade 3 learners across diverse school settings; I identified five significant aims. The main aim of this research was to use the findings gained to assist and guide educators and all adults working with children in all school contexts and in all grade levels to transform education related to rights and responsibilities to empower children. The aim of the study was to understand the experiences of Grade 3 learners regarding their rights and responsibilities across diverse settings. My objectives were firstly to investigate whether children were educated and informed about their rights and responsibilities as child citizens. Secondly, to explore possible gaps in the knowledge of children’s experience and understanding of their rights and responsibilities. Thirdly, to give children an opportunity to use their voices through participating in this study. Fourthly, to identify the similarities and differences through comparison of the of Grade 3 learners’ experiences of their rights and responsibilities across the three diverse school settings. The comparison of data sets highlighted challenges and gaps in children’s education and their experiences of rights and responsibilities. It enabled me to draw conclusions that assisted me in making recommendations to supplement and improve children’s understanding of their rights and responsibilities. I believe that the findings from my study contribute to the growing body of knowledge regarding rights and responsibilities education as a strong focus in the Life Skills programme – locally and globally _ and to improving the education of the young child. Through the comparison of the experiences of the participating children across the three school settings, similarities and differences arose that deepened insight into the main findings. The first finding is that education improves children’s understanding and experience of their rights and responsibilities. Secondly, basic needs have a substantial impact on children’s experience of their rights and responsibilities. Thirdly, the participating children understood that people have needs and rights, and that those rights must be acknowledged to ensure a good quality of life. I further found that children can be empowered through using their voices and in gaining positive experiences and understanding, which ultimately contributes to raising strong well-adjusted adults. This research was qualitative in nature using a multiple case study design. The themes and sub-themes that emerged from the data analysis of three diverse schools were then compared. Data gathering occurred through interviews, observation, documents, field notes and visual artefacts. The artefacts consisted of collages, drawings and writings made by the participating children and formed a large part of the data collection and analysis. Data collection took place in the Grade 3 classrooms and school venues made available by the diverse schools where data was collected. The ninety-six (n = 96) participating children contributed the data for this study and I analysed the data to understand how Grade 3 children understood their rights and responsibilities. Grade 3 learners were from three school settings where the participants had diverse backgrounds regarding language, capability, socio-economic circumstances, race, belief and religion. Children were typically between nine and ten years of age in Grade 3. An emerging conceptual framework created through combining existing theories was utilised for explaining children’s experiences of their rights and responsibilities across the diverse settings. The theories employed were the sociology of childhood, empowerment theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the framework is the arch of human rights. To empower young children with their rights and responsibilities, adults should listen, educate, communicate, and encourage decision making, accountability and responsibility so that young children will understand their rights and responsibilities as active citizens in their country. This would benefit children to modify and adjust the world they live in. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Early Childhood Education / PhD / Unrestricted

Children’s rights and childhood are concepts that are a part of everyday discussions for many people around the world, but the understanding of the concepts shifts through time and space. The Convention on the Right of the Child, CRC, is supposed to protect children’s rights and relies upon the idea of childhood that describes children both as active agents and in need of protection. UNICEF, an organization within the UN, has the CRC as a guiding principle to achieve its mission to improve the lives of every child globally. However, previous research has criticized the CRC and UNICEF for ignoring particular children’s needs and having a western bias. Thus, even if an international social work program aims to protect children’s rights, it can end up excluding the needs of particular groups of children. This study aims to provide an understanding of how the problem of children’s rights discriminations is represented to be in UNICEF’s campaign #ENDviolence. The study fulfills the aim by using Carol Bacchi’s approach “What’s the problem represented to be?” WPR, and its six guiding questions. The empirical data is UNICEF’s campaign report, because the present study aims to investigate children’s rights discrimination, and the organization works with children and uses the CRC as a guiding principle. The study uses the WPR approach because it stresses that problems are created and given meanings through policies and programs. This study also uses the social constructionist theory and the two concepts, intersectionality and intertextuality, to provide a broader understanding. The results show that the campaign does only have a limited intersectional perspective, by not including children’s different identities, relating to such as race, nationality, alternative gender identification and sexuality, and abilities/disabilities, and it also does not acknowledge children’s multiple identities. Instead, the problem representation solely relies upon the concepts of sex (boy/girl) or age. Hence, the campaign leaves particular children and their needs unrecognized. An explanation for this approach is the campaign’s stable intertextual connection to the UN, and the writings, CRC and SDGs, Sustainable development goals. The campaign also tends to have a western bias, through silencing western countries, the data it uses and how it presents the data. The campaign ignores particular children and how institutional structures may affect them differently because of their identities. Thus, discrimination and violence against specific children can continue and suggested solutions would not necessarily help them.

The aim of this study is to contribute to increased knowledge about educators' perceptions of children's rights and how they perceive that it is worked with in preschool. The method used in the study is a semi-structured interview, in which six educators participated. In this essay, we will use the term pedagogues when we refer to those who work in children's groups, the term includes both trained preschool teachers and all other staff. The result shows that the educators have a desire to work and learn more about the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The study also shows that the work with children's rights is usually about what approach one has rather than knowledge and understanding. The teachers' ideas about the subject reflects an uncertainty, which can contribute to children in preschool not being aware of their rights. / Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till ökad kunskap om pedagogers föreställningar av barns rättigheter och hur de upplever att detta arbetas med i förskolan. Metoden som använts är semistrukturerad intervju, där det deltog sex pedagoger. I denna uppsats kommer vi att använda begreppet pedagoger när vi benämner de som arbetar i barngrupperna, i begreppet ingår såväl utbildade förskollärare som all övrig personal. Resultatet visar på att pedagogerna har en vilja att arbeta och lära sig mer om barnkonventionen. Studien visar även att arbetet med barns rättigheter till större delen handlar om vilket förhållningssätt man har snarare än kunskap och förståelse. Pedagogernas föreställningar kring ämnet speglar en osäkerhet vilket kan bidra till att barn i förskolan inte blir medvetna om sina rättigheter.

Over the past decade, there has been a considerable rise in popularity of family vlog channels on YouTube. However, these videos have been receiving growing criticism for hosting the children as the main ‘stars’. With YouTube being the main source of income for some of these family units, concerns rise regarding the possibility of family vlogging accommodating a new type of child labour. For this reason, it is crucial to understand how the children’s rights might be threatened. At the same time, research within this field is still limited as family vlogging concerns a fairly recent phenomenon. Accordingly, the current thesis aims to fill these research gaps by contextualizing the practices of family vlogging through a rights-based approach. To do so, a case study was conducted on a YouTube account named ‘The Bucket List Family’. Using content analysis, 5 of their videos were analysed qualitatively and 100 of their video titles were analysed quantitatively. Findings confirm that the children played a central role in contributing to the popularity of the videos. Moreover, the children’s images were consistently and successfully used to further capitalize the family’s brand. Therefore, one can conclude that these children are being exposed to digital child labour, which can mean a possible breach of their rights. The considerable exposure of the children in the videos not only robs them from their privacy, but it also does so without their explicit consent, leaving them extremely vulnerable. As such, the conclusions of this thesis implicate that more research in this field is needed, so that future policymaking can be guided towards a better protection of the children. Additionally, by exposing the digital child labour practices behind family vlogging, this study hopes to bring more societal awareness to the topic.

Syftet med arbetsstudien är att utforska och få en bredare syn på hur barns perspektiv beaktas och värderas, samt hur barns delaktighet hanteras av en LSS-handläggare utifrån ens upplevelser och erfarenheter. Det empiriska materialet har erhållits genom en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer där urvalet består av sex LSS-biståndshandläggare från tre olika kommuner i Sverige. Resultaten visar att dessa deltagande LSS-biståndshandläggarna är medvetna om sina skyldigheter att använda barnperspektiv i sina arbeten. Men att tolkningen och definitionen av barnperspektiven varierar mellan samtliga deltagare. Resultaten visade även att implementeringen av barnkonventionen har trappats upp hos kommun A, medan hos andra kommuner har man inte framkommit lika långt. Resultaten visar också att det finns ett antal olika tillvägagångssätt för en biståndshandläggare inom LSS att genom sitt arbete kunna befrämja barns delaktighet genom exempelvis miljö, dokumentation, möten och kommunikation. Dessutom visar studien att det finns ett visst antal utmaningar som har påverkat barns delaktighet och hindrat barnen till att komma till tals. Dessa resultat kategoriseras under rubriken Brist på kunskap och kommunikationshjälpmedel gällande dialog och samtal med barn med funktionsnedsättning. Resultaten visar även att det finns ett enormt intresse och en stor vilja hos studiedeltagarna att avlägsna en del av dessa hinder. Nuläget kräver därför nya arbetsmetoder och specialiserade utbildningar som kan möjliggöra för LSS-handläggarna att vidareutveckla arbetet med barnperspektiven för att ännu bättre kunna implementera barnkonventionen. / The aim of the work study is to investigate and gain a wider view of how children's perspectives are considered and appreciated and how children's participation is handled by the LSS administrator based on their own experiences and encounters. The empirical material was obtained by a qualitative method with partially structured interviews in which the sample consisted of six LSS development aid officials from three different municipalities in Sweden. The results showed that LSS development aid workers participating in the program are aware of their responsibilities to use the child's perspective in their work. But that the interpretation and definition of a child's perspective differs among all participants. The results also showed that the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was accelerated in municipality A, while in other municipalities it has not progressed as far. The results also show that there are several different approaches for a development assistance officer within LSS to be able to promote children's participation through, for example, the environment, documentation, meetings, and communication. In addition, the study shows that there are a few challenges that have affected children's participation and prevented children from speaking out. These results are categorized under the heading Lack of knowledge and communication aids regarding dialogue and conversations with children with disabilities. The results also show that there is an enormous interest and a great willingness among the study participants to remove some of these obstacles. The current situation therefore requires new working methods and specialized training that can enable the LSS administrators to further develop the work with the child perspective to be able to implement the children's convention even better.

Afrikaans text / Suid-Afrika het ‘n ver pad gekom sedert die 16de eeu in die erkenning en ontwikkeling van kinderregte. Kinderregte word vandag ten volle erken in die Grondwet, wat die hoogste gesag in die land is. Hierdie studie het ten doel om die beskerming van kinderregte in die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg te ondersoek, met verwysing na die rol wat internasionale reg, soos die United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (“die Konvensie”) en die African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 1990 (“Afrika Handves”) in die ontwikkeling van kinderregte gespeel het. Spesifieke voorskrifte ingevolge waarvan die regte van kinders beskerm word is ondersoek,insluitend artikel 28 van die Grondwet en sekere bepalings van die Kinderwet. Weens die beperkte omvang van hierdie verhandeling, is sekere afgebakende voorbeelde uit die Kinderwet ondersoek met spesifieke verwysing na kinders se regte en tradisionele waardes soos manlike besnydenis, vroulike besnydenis en maagdelikheidstoetse. Daar is gekyk of die praktiese probleme op regeringsvlak, byvoorbeeld die voorsiening en befondsing van maatskaplike dienste, die implementering van die bepalings van die Kinderwet vertraag. Skrywer kom tot die slotsom dat die bepalings van die Kinderwet alleenlik nie voldoende is om effektiewe beskerming aan sekere groepe kinders te verleen nie en hierdie probleme lei daartoe dat kinderregte nie behoorlik gerealiseer en geïmplementeer word nie, en dat daar nie ‘n behoorlike balans tussen die regte en verantwoordelikhede van die kind, die ouers en die staat bereik word nie. Moontlike oplossings vir die probleem en tekortkominge in die uitvoering van die Kinderwet word voorgestel in die slot hoofstuk. / South Africa has come a long way since the 16th century in the recognition and development of children's rights. Children's rights are now fully recognized in the Constitution, the supreme authority in the country. This study aims to investigate the protection of children's rights in South African law, with reference to the role of international law, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the rights and Welfare of the child 1990, in the development of children's rights. Specific provisions under which the rights of children protected is examined, including Section 28 of the Constitution and certain provisions of the Children’s Act. Due to the limited scope of this paper, some designated examples from the Children’s Act are examined with particular reference to children's rights and traditional values such as male circumcision, female circumcision and virginity testing. It is looked at if whether the practical problems experienced on government level, the provision and funding of social services delay the implementation of the provisions of the Children's Act .Author comes to the conclusion that the provisions of the Children alone is not sufficient to ensure effective protection of the rights of certain groups of children and that these problems led to children's rights not properly realized and implemented, and that a proper balance between the rights and responsibilities of the child, the parents and the state is not reached. In the concluding chapter possible solutions to the problems and shortcomings in the implementation of the Children’s Act is suggested. / Jurisprudence / LLM

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has repeatedly criticized Sweden for the differences regarding the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at the municipal level. Even so, studies show that there is a political will in the municipalities when it comes to realize the CRC. It indicates that there are challenges in terms of implementation. This thesis examines the implementation process in two Swedish municipalities where the local government has decided to implement the CRC. The purpose is to identify and describe the challenges that exist in the municipalities regarding the implementation and to determine to what extent the challenges can be influenced from the political level. The theoretical framework is grounded on theories of policy implementation and the findings have been compiled through interviews and qualitative text analyses. The study identifies challenges that are related, inter alia, to the ability to evaluate and control the implementation and the findings implies that the majority of the identified challenges can be influenced from the political level.

The present thesis explores intersectional and institutional conditions for counteracting domestic violence in the Swedish welfare state. Empirically, the study focuses on professional discourses and practices concerning fathers’ violence against mothers and children in the context of separation, in three domains of practice: 1) Children’s education; 2) Disputes concerning custody, contact and residence; and 3) Welfare benefits such as financial aid. Theoretically, the study draws on feminist political theory and sociology, childhood studies and critical race studies. The empirical material consists of court orders and interviews with staff and victimised mothers. Two main social processes that undermine implementation of children’s rights are identified and discussed: Familialisation and selective repression. The thesis is based on four articles: Article I, (Skolan, familjerätten och barnen) School, family law and children exposed to violence, explores how staff at school and preschool understands their professional task, when in encounters with children in difficulties due to family law proceedings. The results suggest that two competing perspectives shape staff understandings of risks, solutions and violence. When arguing from the child’s rights’ perspective, the staff prioritises children’s safety and participation, while an upbringing perspective tends to construct violence mainly as a problem of order, with disquieting implications for vulnerable children. Article II, (Pedagoger i det sociala uppdragets gränstrakter: Att hantera familjerättsliga processer, hot och våld)Pedagogues in the borderland of their social task: Dealing with family law proceedings, threats and violence, investigates strategies used by preschool and school staff, when encountering gendered conflicts and violence between parents. How do the staff cope with their own and children’s vulnerability? An analytical model of six types of proactive and reactive strategies, ranging from keeping distance to normalisation of own vulnerability, is utilised in the analysis and discussed in relation to organisational and professional circumstances and intersecting social relations of inequality. Article III, Contact and evaluations of violence: An intersectional analysis of Swedish court orders, examines obstacles to implementation of children’s rights in contested parental contact cases in which there are indications of violence. The analysis shows that the contact presumption is strong, and generally overrides protection. This norm applies even where there are convictions or explicit reports of child abuse or domestic violence. In cases with ‘non-Nordic’ fathers however, the contact presumption is less likely to override protection than in cases with ‘Nordic’ fathers. Article IV, Financial oppression and post-separation child positions in Sweden, deals with post-separation child positions in two domains of practice in the Swedish welfare state: Welfare benefits such as financial aid, and child contact. The area of concern is financial oppression in the context of parental separation. Findings suggest that financial abuse in the context of parental separation is a non-question in the domain of welfare benefits, and in the domain of child contact framed as a conflict between equal parties. The age order as a form of domination may be reinforced by the practice of both domains.

<p>The purpose of this project is to study the women involved in the SOS Children’s Villages; the influence of the association on their views on life, as seen from a human-rights and a religious perspective. Questions such as why they chose to work with the association and what it gives them to do so are treated in this study.</p><p>My goal has been to study and present different aspects of something so important, but yet so unfamiliar. The method used in this project is minor field studies, which means visiting the villages, living with the families and observing their daily lives. The means of acquiring the information necessary for this study is by qualitative interviews with the mothers.</p><p>A theoretical framework has been used as a complement to the study, and it is also used to bring greater understanding to the SOS mothers and how they have shaped their lives.</p><p>My ambition with this essay is to bring out their individual experiences on how they view their own lives at present and what meaning life has given them. I have used seven of the 14 interviews conducted.</p><p>The outcome shows that several factors play important roles as to why the mothers decided to work with the association. Such factors were socioeconomic and sociopsyhologic factors. Other conclusions that were drawn after this field trip were that the women are very vulnerable to the social situation in Lebanon. They need someone to support them since the men are the primary providers. If the women do not find someone to marry they need to find another source for provision and the SOS children’s Association is one way to go. The sense of Coherence that these women had was indeed strong, they felt meaningfulness in what they did, they had comprehended the situations at hand and could manage the situations as predictable, and they have the confidence to know that everything will work out in the best way possible.</p> / Uppsatsen har givits ut som bok 2009 med titeln: "Lebanese SOS Children's Villages: Stories of the village mothers" av VDM Verlag, Saarbrücken.

The purpose of this law-sociological study was to, on the basis of the District Court's decree to single custody, analyze the District Court’s comprehensive ideas and fall-oriented interpretations of the concept of the best interest of the child and the way they are constructed in connection with the District Court's application of the new law regulation of 6kap. 5§ FB regarding collaboration between parents. Our empirical data consisted of ten decrees to single custody. The decrees were examined and analyzed on the basis of social constructionism as a theory and the idea-analysis as the study's method. Legal sources such as law and its legislative history and the law inSwedenandScandinaviain general, with both domestic and international previous research, gave us initial knowledge in the area which gradually grew during the study. Results show that sweeping presumptions for single custody, with vague connections between single child's best interest and decisions about single custody based on the parents' lack of cooperation, can be glimpsed in several of the judges' texts. The District Court’s ideas/interpretations of the concept of the best interest of the child reach for the most part in the decrees where an individual assessment has been made.