The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was unanimously adopted in 1989. It was hoped that the Convention would have a positive impact on all children however, despite a country ratifying the Convention and proclaiming to have laws in the interests of children it is still possible for that country to fail in the attempt to implement children’s rights effectively. This can clearly be seen in Kurdistan, Iraq where implementation of children’s rights remains limited. With the continuing violence in Iraq, children’s rights have been somewhat neglected and as with many such situations children are the innocent victims. Ensuring and improving the rights of the next generation of Iraq is vitally important at a time when the country is going through important changes and re-generation. This thesis gives information on the historical background of the UNCRC and looks at its substantive provisions in detail, it then goes on to compare the implementation of children’s rights in Kurdistan and the UK. The thesis highlights methods of implementation in both countries and looks at ways in which some of the Convention’s articles are written into law. The thesis concludes with recommendations on how Kurdistan can move forward to achieve better implementation of children’s rights.

Denna studie belyser några svenska statliga myndigheters genomförande av FN:s konvention om barnets rättigheter. Ambitionen är att fördjupa förståelsen av och få ökad insikt om betydelsefulla förutsättningar vid ett implementeringsarbete sett ur ett systemteoretiskt perspektiv. Studien baseras på semistrukturerade intervjuer med myndighetsrepresentanter. Genom framställande av myndigheternas hierarkiska nivåer: ledarnivå, organisationsnivå och kontextnivå, skildras respektive nivås betydelse och medverkan under konkretiseringen av konventionen. Studien indikerar att en kombination av information, yttrande och förståelse mellan de olika nivåerna, är av central betydelse beträffande realiserande av Barnkonventionen.

Thesis advisor: M. Brinton Lykes / Most recent figures indicate that approximately one in five children in the United States is poor (Children’s Defense Fund, 2010; Moore et al., 2009). Thus, the United States ranks considerably below other Northern Hemisphere nations in indices of both child poverty and child well-being (Rainwater & Smeeding, 2003; UNICEF, 2007). Moreover, while the United States has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), this treaty has been central in reframing policy and practices towards reducing child poverty in some other Northern Hemisphere nations. Many authors and activists have suggested that US nonratification of this Convention is based on “American exceptionalism.” This paper examines these claims – and counterclaims – and explores, through comparisons with several other Northern Hemisphere nations, how the Convention on the Rights of the Child, if ratified and implemented through US policy and practice, could play a significant part in tackling child poverty in this nation. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: International Studies Honors Program. / Discipline: International Studies.

Despite being a strong advocate for children’s rights in the international community, Sweden has received critique from the Committee on the Rights of the Child regarding the high number of children who have been removed from their families and that are currently living in foster homes. Previous research has not dealt with the issue of children’s rights in foster care placement processes in Sweden, nor has it included Sweden in discourse analyses on children’s rights, or sufficiently explored the relationship between discourse and implementation of the UNCRC. I use theories on discourse and translation in order to provide a comparative analysis of the articulations of children’s rights relevant for foster care placement processes in the UNCRC, and on the national and local level in Sweden. The analysis points to both similarities and differences in the discourses and identifies six aspects of the Swedish discourse that make certain activities in foster care placement processes possible, desirable and inevitable.

Thesis (MSocSc)--University of South Australia, 1996

In this paper, I study how a new law (the Convention on the Rights of the Child) is implemented in Lomma municipality. I investigate how the new law has been implemented in the municipality and how my informants experience their room of maneuver to carry out the changes required to implement the law in their business. Methodological tools used are interviews with four informants. The analysis is guided by Lundquist's theory of implementation as well as Lipsky's theory of room of maneuver.  The study results in that the implementation of the law has mainly taken place through the appointment of a working group with responsibility for the implementation. After that nothing more significant has happened in the implementation process. The informants have a room for maneuver, but are strongly influenced by management and the policy framework. Therefore, it will be difficult for the informants to fully implement the law in the business. It is not possible to draw generalizing conclusions based on the results because it is a specific case that is being analyzed, but similar studies with other municipalities in focus are examples of future research areas.

Despite the Arizona family court's purported focus on the "best interests" of the child, it is inherently parent-centered and does not, in actuality, serve children's well-being. When children are offered opportunities to participate in this legal system, studies have found positive impacts to both the children and the judicial system. The overwhelming majority of these studies were conducted in countries that have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the United States is not one of those countries. As such, facilitating children's participation in the court process by encouraging judicial interviews is one way Arizona family law could better promote children's best interests and well-being. What began as a quest for research on how judicial interviews affected children emotionally and psychologically, has evolved into a critical analysis of the family law framework as it exists in the United States—particularly, the State of Arizona. Through a detailed presentation of Arizona family law, this papers demonstrates the court's focus on parents' rights—often in the absence of children's rights. An exploration of the ways in which various philosophical and legal theories work to critique and expose the dominant power relationships in the family law structure follows. It is only through such deconstruction of this law that children's voices can be effectively reincorporated into the family law schema and their "best interests" properly considered.

Lesotho ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 (hereafter 'the CRC') in 1992. By virtue of ratification of the CRC Lesotho has undertaken to harmonise its national laws with the CRC provisions. This study looks into the transformation of the Lesotho juvenile justice system since the ratification of the CRC. Some of the provisions of the Children's Protection Act No. 6 of 1980 (hereafter 'the CPA') which established the Lesotho juvenile justice system are not fully compliant with the CRC. This study shows that some major topics in the current Lesotho juvenile justice such as the age of criminal responsibility, procedures in the children's court, legal representation and diversion do not meet the standards of the CRC. Further, the general principles of the CRC are inadequately applied. In order to address these inadequacies Lesotho has drawn the Children's Protection and Welfare Bill 2004 (hereafter ' the Bill' ). Some of the provisions of the Bill relevant to juvenile justice are analysed through the standards of the CRC. While the Bill still has some short falls, in the majority of provisions it sufficiently addresses gaps between the current juvenile justice system and the provisions of the CRC. The study concludes by arguing that the enactment of the Bill should not be delayed further. Professionals in juvenile justice should be trained. Further, some provisions of the Bill like designation of magistrates for the Children's Courts can be put into practice and the use of diversion and restorative justice continued. The CPA provisions which are compatible with the CRC should be used. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The purpose of this dissertation is to compare features of eleven Canadian provincial / territorial Child and Youth Advocates (CYAs) and identify factors that contribute to their success at influencing changes to public policies, practices and laws to improve services and programs for children and youth. This exploratory study compares and provides explanations regarding the CYAs’ evolution, institutional designs, legislated mandates, implementation, expectations and accountability structures. This study is based on reviews of publicly available documents and interviews with CYA key contacts, members of their legislative oversight committees and informed experts. The CYAs are statutory officers who assist their legislatures in protecting children’s rights and holding governments to account. They also provide a valuable source of information and advice for decision-makers and government agencies. Each CYA is uniquely designed to serve the needs and interests of their jurisdictions. They have overlapping functions and use some common approaches to systemic advocacy aimed at laying the groundwork for change. This study identifies several factors that contribute to the CYAs’ success at influencing systemic change. Comprehensive legislation and adequate resources enable some CYAs to undertake a full range of systemic advocacy functions. Raising awareness helps to build a common understanding of children’s rights and promotes a collective will for change to better serve their needs and interests. Effective use of the media is a powerful tool for raising awareness about the CYAs’ systemic concerns and recommended changes and for putting pressure on governments to take action. Educating and providing guidance to the media aids in controlling messages that are reported. Elevating the views and interests of young people who have direct experience with government systems is an effective strategy used by some CYAs to influence systemic change and increase the participation of young people in public decision-making. Building positive relationships with government agencies promotes greater cooperation with CYAs’ advice. The use of strategic plans for systemic advocacy may aid the CYAs to clarify their goals, objectives and performance measures and to monitor changes over time. / Graduate / Public Administration / thunter@uvic.ca

The aim of this study was to explore care leavers' experiences to independency after being discharged from public care. The study explored the services provided for young adults who have left public care and how they perceived the support provided for them during their transition and after. The study has also an interest on the care leavers' rights according to the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child. A qualitative study approach was used to collect data, due to the focus on the interpretation of the care leavers' experiences and to get in-depth information and descriptions about their experiences and perspectives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four participants who have left care. Moreover, the findings show that the participants were disadvantaged in many areas during their transition and the support received were limited. From the findings, the care leavers were lacking stability, encouragement and both emotional and adequate practical support after being discharged from care.