Children whose families live in economic hardship tend not to participate in social activitiesthat involve money. Economically disadvantaged children are described as those who, due toinsufficient financial resources, have difficulty living a life similar to other children in thesame community. Social workers are legally obligated to specifically consider the bestinterests of the child in measures concerning children and to use both the Social Services Actand the Convention on the Rights of the Child in their decisions. Thus, a social worker isobliged to consider the child's rights, the child's perspective, and the child's best interests intheir work. The purpose of this study is to investigate how social workers in financial aid usetheir discretion to protect children's rights in accordance with the four core principles of theConvention on the Rights of the Child. The study employs a qualitative method withsemi-structured interviews to obtain the perceptions of two different professional groups onwhether social workers in financial aid are considered to uphold the four core principles ofthe Convention on the Rights of the Child and whether they believe that social workers usetheir discretion sufficiently to consider children's rights. The collected empirical material wasthen analyzed in various themes connected with previous research and Lipsky's theories ondiscretion and street-level bureaucracy. Research indicates that social workers in financial aidfail to use their discretion to protect the child's rights and to uphold the four core principles ofthe Convention on the Rights of the Child. The study revealed results indicating that socialworkers' decisions regarding children can be influenced by the organization's management, asenior social worker, lack of knowledge, ambiguities in guidelines within the organization,and the absence of child participation in decisions affecting them. Furthermore, it was foundthat social workers' individualized assessments and priorities were crucial in how they choseto use their own discretion. With more opportunities for education on the child's perspectiveand child rights and a developing practice on how children's rights should be considered andapplied in financial aid work, social workers can help prevent more children from becomingvulnerable and experiencing the consequences of such vulnerability. / Barn vars familjer lever i ekonomisk utsatthet tenderar att inte delta i sociala aktiviteter sominkluderar pengar. Ekonomiskt utsatta barn beskrivs vara barn med anledning av otillräckligaekonomiska resurser och har därmed svårigheter med att leva ett likadant liv likt andra barnsom lever i samma samhälle. Socialsekreterare har en skyldighet enligt lag att särskilt beaktabarnets bästa vid åtgärder som rör barn och använda sig av både socialtjänstlagen ochbarnkonventionen vid beslut. En socialsekreterare har därmed skyldighet att beakta barnetsrättigheter, beakta barnperspektivet samt barnets bästa i arbetet. Studiens syfte är attundersöka hur socialsekreterare inom ekonomiskt bistånd använder sitt handlingsutrymme föratt tillvara barnens rättigheter i enlighet med Barnkonventionens fyra grundprinciper. Studienanvänder sig av en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer för att få de två olikayrkesgruppers uppfattningar om socialsekreterare inom ekonomiskt bistånd anses leva upp tillbarnkonventionens fyra grundprinciper samt om de anser att socialsekreterare använder sitthandlingsutrymme tillräckligt för att ta hänsyn till barnens rättigheter. Det insamladeempiriska materialet analyserades sedan i olika teman som anknöts med tidigare forskningoch Lipskys teorier om handlingsutrymme och teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater. Undersökningarpekar på att socialsekreterare inom ekonomiskt bistånd brister i sitt arbete att använda sitthandlingsutrymme för att tillvarata barnets rättigheter samt leva upp till barnkonventionensfyra grundprinciper. Studien fick fram ett resultat som pekade på att socialsekreterarensbeslut rörande barn kan påverkas av organisationens ledning, en förste socialsekreterare,kunskapsbrist, otydligheter i riktlinjer i verksamheten samt inte har barn delaktiga i beslutsom rör dem. Det framkom dessutom att socialsekreterarnas individanpassade prövningar ochprioriteringar var avgörande för hur de väljer att använda sig av sitt handlingsutrymme. Medfler möjligheter till utbildning inom barnperspektivet och barnets rättigheter och enutvecklande verksamhet om hur barns rättigheter ska beaktas och tillämpas i arbetet inomekonomiskt bistånd kan socialsekreterare bidra till att hindra flera barn att bli utsatta och attuppleva konsekvenserna av vad utsattheten för med sig.

The law governing children’s rights is part of international human rights law and therefore plays an important role in the protection of human rights. However, the effectiveness of the protection of children’s rights depends on a State’s compliance with children’s rights instruments and the implementation mechanisms within a given State. There are implementation mechanisms for the protection of children’s rights at the national, regional and international levels. The protection of children’s rights at these three levels is provided for by children’s rights instruments. The monitoring of particular implementation mechanisms with regard to children’s rights is effected by reporting processes through State Parties to domestic institutions, regional, and international organisations. The reports provided by States Parties must contain relevant information with regard to measures that States Parties have taken to implement children’s rights instruments. Inadequate implementation mechanisms for the protection of children’s rights have emerged as the greatest threat to the realisation of children’s rights. This means that the adoption of children’s rights instruments may yield results only when effective implementation steps are taken by the respective States Parties. There are four “cornerstone” principles that underpin the protection of children’s rights.1 These are: non-discrimination; the best interest of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child.2 This study will evaluate the right to education and the best interests of the child principle as covered in children’s rights instruments at regional and international levels.Education is a powerful tool in ensuring the protection and enjoyment of children’s rights. Therefore, ineffective implementation of the right to education may have adverse consequences for society. The best interest of the child principle is the guiding principle in all matters concerning children’s rights.3 Therefore, the application and effectiveness of the best interests of the child principle will ensure adequate protection of children’s rights. Further, the study will examine the right to education and the best interest of the child in order to demonstrate how the United Nations (UN) and regional human rights instruments have provided for their implementation. Ratification of children’s rights instruments is a symbolic gesture on the part of States Parties to the recognition and significance of protection of children’s rights. The compliance with children rights instruments or treaty obligations is crucial to ensure adequate protection of children’s rights. Thus, non-compliance with treaty obligations will have a negative impact on the protection of children’s rights. The evaluation of the right to education and the best interests of the child principle will be undertaken against the backdrop of children’s rights instruments. The children’s rights instruments are provided for by the United Nations (UN) and regional human rights systems. The dissertation will evaluate the right to education and the best interests of the child principle within three regional systems, namely, the European Union (EU), the Organisation of American States (OAS), and the African Union (AU). It will also examine pertinent case law within the three regional systems. Finally, the efficacy of implementation mechanisms for the enforcement of children’s rights will be assessed. / Public, Constitutional, & International Law / LLM

The law governing children’s rights is part of international human rights law and therefore plays an important role in the protection of human rights. However, the effectiveness of the protection of children’s rights depends on a State’s compliance with children’s rights instruments and the implementation mechanisms within a given State. There are implementation mechanisms for the protection of children’s rights at the national, regional and international levels. The protection of children’s rights at these three levels is provided for by children’s rights instruments. The monitoring of particular implementation mechanisms with regard to children’s rights is effected by reporting processes through State Parties to domestic institutions, regional, and international organisations. The reports provided by States Parties must contain relevant information with regard to measures that States Parties have taken to implement children’s rights instruments. Inadequate implementation mechanisms for the protection of children’s rights have emerged as the greatest threat to the realisation of children’s rights. This means that the adoption of children’s rights instruments may yield results only when effective implementation steps are taken by the respective States Parties. There are four “cornerstone” principles that underpin the protection of children’s rights.1 These are: non-discrimination; the best interest of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child.2 This study will evaluate the right to education and the best interests of the child principle as covered in children’s rights instruments at regional and international levels.Education is a powerful tool in ensuring the protection and enjoyment of children’s rights. Therefore, ineffective implementation of the right to education may have adverse consequences for society. The best interest of the child principle is the guiding principle in all matters concerning children’s rights.3 Therefore, the application and effectiveness of the best interests of the child principle will ensure adequate protection of children’s rights. Further, the study will examine the right to education and the best interest of the child in order to demonstrate how the United Nations (UN) and regional human rights instruments have provided for their implementation. Ratification of children’s rights instruments is a symbolic gesture on the part of States Parties to the recognition and significance of protection of children’s rights. The compliance with children rights instruments or treaty obligations is crucial to ensure adequate protection of children’s rights. Thus, non-compliance with treaty obligations will have a negative impact on the protection of children’s rights. The evaluation of the right to education and the best interests of the child principle will be undertaken against the backdrop of children’s rights instruments. The children’s rights instruments are provided for by the United Nations (UN) and regional human rights systems. The dissertation will evaluate the right to education and the best interests of the child principle within three regional systems, namely, the European Union (EU), the Organisation of American States (OAS), and the African Union (AU). It will also examine pertinent case law within the three regional systems. Finally, the efficacy of implementation mechanisms for the enforcement of children’s rights will be assessed. / Public, Constitutional, and International Law / LLM

The CRC is an ethical foundation documents to strengthen children's position in the family law process and ensure that both the child's needs and rights are met. According to article 12 all children have the right to participate in processes and decisions that affect them, where their opinions should be given weight in accordance to their age and maturity. Even to meet the child's best interests (article 3) should be the main target at each crucial decision on issues affecting children. The definition of the child's best changes in time and place and leads to individual assessments needs to be made based on the needs of each child, by their individual interests and situation. In practice it may also be deemed to be a dilemma to consider both articles, tension may arise when the child ́s will and the best interests of the child do not correspond. Based on theories of child's status as an actor or non-actor in the assessment through the different perspectives: care logic and legal logic, we want to understand how assessors in different cases of access account to the articles that determine their decisions. Our study has been conducted through a qualitative research with textual analysis of five Swedish cases from District Court and Court of Appeal from the years 2015-2016. The outcome of the study shows that two logics (care logic and legal logic) generates in the assessments of the child ́s best and that their decisions is depending on which one of those thats dominate. The results also shows that the children ́s will depends on its age and maturity which also determine the children ́s influence and status as actors or non-actors in the legal process of access

The number of girls that are being exploited for prostitution in Nepal has increased in recent years, and girls suffer a high risk of being exposed when they come from already poorly conditions. Previously, uneducated girls could be found in the adult entertainment sector, but nowadays even educated girls are being exploited. This thesis aims to gain further understanding to why girls are being exposed and why it is difficult to protect them. By conducting qualitive interviews with employees from several NGOs working to protect girls from being exploited for prostitution, insights has been given about socio-structural factors that influences the situation for girls. By examining these factors with support from theoretical approaches that highlights social injustice, gender discrimination and structural oppression this thesis presents how different factors affect the work of protecting girls, and how the same factors also are contributing to why girls get exposed. The state of Nepal shows several efforts in trying to eradicate the problem and have ratified both the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The state has also made changes in national law that shall promote and strengthen children's rights. Although the laws are strong, the protection for girls is insufficient and girls are vulnerable to being exploited by traffickers. The Government of Nepal, NGOs and several other authorities are working together to eradicate the problem, but the work needs be strengthened, coordinated and responsive to influencing factors simultaneously in order to achieve a long-term solution. This thesis suggest that cultural norms need to be challenged more and that the Government of Nepal needs to oversee how structural injustices affect opportunities for girls to take part of social benefits. In addition, knowledge about legal and moral rights needs to be increased among girls and in society as a whole, moreover the knowledge about trafficking and prostitution needs to be spread.

The purpose of this study was to explore if and how the Swedish Supreme Court are using the concept “the child’s best interest”. This concept is used a lot in Swedish legislation, but it needs interpretation every time it´s used and is often perceived as unclear. This makes it interesting to see how this affects the individual child´s legal rights. Furthermore I want to see if the Supreme Court listen to the child´s own opinion and if not, are there any justifications to why not. The study has a quantitative starting point, where I have gone through a number of judgments and then chosen seven out of a qualitative point where there has been a discussion from the Supreme Court around the individual and the best interest of the child for the individual child and the methods of analysis used in this study are social constructionism, legal sociology and analysis of the idea. The study shows a lack of consistency among the professionals of what the concept really stands for, which negatively affects the legal rights for the individual child. The solution is a closer collaboration between social workers, judges and lawyers to make the concept clearer and more applicable.

我國每年有將近4,000名基於家庭功能喪失、遭受虐待抑或本身行為等因素而進入安置機構的兒童及少年，這些兒少是我們社會中最為弱勢的一群人之一，他們在機構內是否獲得必要之協助及照顧，對於這群兒少未來的成長及發展係至關重要。然而近年來國內許多學者針對機構內兒少權益遭受剝奪或侵害的問題已提出應有所變革的呼籲及建言，希望能獲得政府及社會的關注。本文希望能藉由對於國內相關法律規範之整理以及比較法的研究，對於社會工作研究者所提出 之種種涉及機構內兒少權益的問題提出法律面的觀點及思考。 聯合國1989年兒童權利公約已明確宣示兒童為權利的主體，此一宣示對於兒童具有劃時代的意義。兒童從過去歷史中「不被看見的人」轉而成為「被保護的客體」，如今已然具有「權利主體」的地位。依據聯合國兒童權利委員會就兒童權利公約所為之闡釋，唯有將兒童的法律地位由「被保護的客體」提升為「權利主體」，即所謂「典範移轉」(paradigm shift)的思維，方能具體落實兒童的權利主體性。藉由近年來英國學者對於英國法院就兒童權利之判解實務所提出之批評及思辨，筆者嘗試說明除應於法律制定時正視兒童各項權利及其保障外，在司法審判實務上，「典範移轉」所要求的是法院應將兒童的權利置於裁判的天平並確實加以檢視。在英國，法院長期以「兒童福祉」而非「兒童權利」作為判決考量中心點的做法，亦已引發學者批評為不符合兒童權利的思潮發展。 對於國家究竟應如何提供被安置兒少所需之安置服務以及應如何確保其權利，本文係以英國為比較法之借鏡，並說明英國兒童安置之法律規範係以兒童權利為核心，特別著重就安置服務的提供應彰顯兒童的個體性，以及兒童應獲得必要的協助以確保其權利的行使。具體而言，本文指出英國為保障被安置兒童之權益建置了諸多的法律機制，其中包括藉由不同位階之法律規範及指導方針縝密地規範安置保護的執行、安置事件中法律監護人的設置、地方政府與民間安置機構委外契約就兒童安置成果約定的具體化、被安置兒童申訴機制的完備、以及由獨立性外部機關來執行安置機構的評鑑等。本文最後並藉由國際公約及比較法的省思，對我國相關法制提出初步之修法建議。 / Around 4,000 children in Taiwan today live in residential institutions due to domestic violence, family dysfunction or as a consequence of their own behaviour. These children are among the country’s most vulnerable. In this thesis, I intend to consider the rights of children living in such institutions, with a view to recommending that Taiwan’s legal framework be based on a ‘child rights’ approach’. The importance of the status of children as rights-holders has long been recognised by the international community. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child stated that a ‘paradigm shift’ is needed to change the perception of children as ‘objects in need of assistance and protection’ to holders of non-negotiable rights. To bring about this ‘paradigm shift’, as argued by leading children’s law academics in England, I shall stress that not only is there a need for children’s rights to be given prominence in domestic legislation, but domestic courts, lawyers, social workers and those who work with children must also take children’s rights more seriously. In this thesis, in an overview of the English child-care legislative framework, I shall identify the key features of a child-care system that I believe is centred on children and their rights. I shall then reflect on the present state of institutional child care in Taiwan, placing emphasis on those aspects of the English model that I consider may be used as references for its development.

L’objectif de cette recherche est d’appréhender les punitions corporelles en tant que phénomène éducatif au regard des droits des enfants à partir des représentations sociales des parents ordinaires. L’étude a impliqué des mères et pères de familles biparentales, sans risque économique, habitant la ville de Barranquilla en Colombie. La démarche s’inscrit dans une perspective pluridisciplinaire combinant l’éducation familiale, la théorie des représentations sociales issue de la psychologie sociale et les études sur la conscience du droit, issues de la sociologie juridique (Legal Consciousness Studies - LCS). Le recueil de données a été réalisé avec deux instruments : le réseau d’associations et l’entretien semi-directif. Le premier permet de recueillir les mots évoqués de façon spontanée à partir d’un terme inducteur et d’atteindre la construction du contexte sémantique de la représentation. L’analyse prototypique des réseaux avec le logiciel EVOC 2003 a permis d’explorer la structure représentationnelle. Cinq objets de représentations ont été examinés pour la caractérisation de son contenu et de sa structure : Punitions-récompenses, Droits de l’enfant, Autorité des pères et mères, Éducation dans la famille, Garçons-Filles. Cette approche a contribué à une compréhension approfondie du phénomène des punitions corporelles du point de vue des acteurs. L’analyse des entretiens a été faite avec le logiciel Atlas.ti en s’appuyant sur les catégories conceptualisantes. Cette analyse permet d’approfondir la connaissance des éléments représentationnels et leur relation avec la narration du quotidien par les parents. Les récits obtenus décrivent la reconstruction par les participants des discours issus de la tradition, du champ juridique et du champ savant, trois discours qui sont intégrés dans le réseau de la pensée sociale. L’examen de la reformulation du discours juridique et de la représentation sociale des droits des enfants ouvrent la voie à la compréhension de la construction par les parents ordinaires d’une légalité particulière. / The research aimed to characterize corporal punishment as an educational phenomenon in tension with the rights of the children, from the social representations of ordinary parents. The study included parents from bi-parental families, excluding the population in economic risk, living in Colombia. The approach involved a multidisciplinary perspective -family education, theory of social representations and legal consciousness studies (LCS)-. The gathering of data is performed with two instruments: the associations networks and semi-structured interviews. The first one allows to reach the construction of the semantic context of the representation. The prototypical analysis of networks made with the EVOC 2003 software led to the exploration of the representational structure. Five objects of representation were examined for the characterization of their content and structure: Punishments-rewards, Children’s rights, Parental authority, Family education, Boys-girls. This approach searched for a deep understanding of the phenomenon of corporal punishment from the point of view of the actors. The treatment of the interviews by the Atlas.ti software was made using conceptualizing categories. This analysis allowed deepening the knowledge of representational elements and their link with stories of everyday life from the parents. The obtained narratives exposed the participants' reconstruction of the discourses emerging from tradition, the legal field, and the learned field; which would be integrated to the social thought network. The examination of the reformulation of the legal discourse and the social representation of children’s rights opens the way to understanding the construction of special legality by the parents on a daily basis. / La investigación tuvo por objetivo caracterizar el castigo físico en tanto fenómeno educativo en tensión con los derechos de los niños desde las representaciones sociales de los padres ordinarios. El estudio se desarrolló en Colombia con madres y padres de familias biparentales. Éste se inscribe en una perspectiva multidisciplinaria - educación familiar, teoría de las representaciones sociales y estudios de la consciencia del derecho -. La recolección de los datos se realizó a través de dos instrumentos: las redes de asociaciones y las entrevistas semi-estructuradas. El primero permite alcanzar la construcción del contexto semántico de la representación. El análisis prototípico de las redes con el software EVOC 2003 conduce a explorar la estructura representacional. Cinco objetos de representaciones fueron examinados para la caracterización de su contenido y estructura: Castigos- premios, Derechos de los niños, Autoridad de los padres y madres, Educación en la familia, Niños-niñas. Esta aproximación busca la comprensión del castigo físico desde la perspectiva de los actores. El tratamiento de las entrevistas en el software Atlas.ti se realizó con la ayuda de categorías conceptualisantes. Dicho análisis permite acceder al conocimiento de los elementos representacionales y su relación con las narrativas acerca del cotidiano de los padres. Los relatos recogidos exponen la reconstrucción realizada por los participantes de los discursos emergentes de la tradición, el campo jurídico y de origen experto, los cuales estarían integrados en la red de pensamiento social. El examen de la reformulación del discurso jurídico y la representación social de los derechos de los niños abre la vía a la comprensión de la legalidad particular construida por los padres en el cotidiano.

Forskning visar att barn har svårt att komma till tals i familjerättsliga processer. Syftet med studien var att undersöka familjerättssekreterares erfarenhet av att tillförsäkra barn rätten att komma till tals och få inflytande i vårdnad-, boende- och umgängesutredningar. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med åtta familjerättssekreterare och resultatet analyserades med IPA, en fenomenologisk forskningsansats. Familjerättssekreterare upplever att barnsamtal är givande och viktigt, de träffar alla barn i utredningarna och är lyhörda för enskilda barns behov men barns delaktighet varierar till följd av exempelvis kommunikationssvårigheter. Ramar, riktlinjer och förutsättningar för utredningsarbetet försvårar delvis barns delaktighet, barnsamtal efter utredarnas bedömning eller uppföljningssamtal genomförs därför inte i vidare hög grad. Ett komplext utredningsarbete framträder som inkluderar ett tolkningsarbete av barnets utsaga, exempelvis med syfte att skydda barnet. En efterfrågan av utbildning i barnsamtal och tolkning av barns utsagor framkommer. Slutligen diskuteras behovet av metoder för att förstärka och säkerställa barns delaktighet, exempelvis diskuteras särskilda biträden till barn. / The aim of the study was to explore how social workers in family law experience their commitment to ensure children's participation in investigations of custody, residence and contact. Qualitative interviews were made with eight social workers in family law and the results were analyzed with IPA, a phenomenological approach. Social workers meet all children in the investigations and they are perceptive of children's specific needs, but children's participation varies due to communication trouble. Policy's and conditions of the work of investigation obstruct children's participation, hence children do not get the opportunity to hear the evaluation or to follow up the court ruling in higher extent. A complex work of investigation appears that includes a work of construction of children's statement in the purpose of protecting the child. A request for education in children's interview and construction of children’s statement emerges. The study ends by discussing methods to enhance and ensure children’s participation.

Considéré depuis des siècles comme un sujet dénué de réflexion et d’autonomie, l’enfant comorien reste soumis à une protection spécifique communautaire. Celle-ci est complétée par une protection étatique inspirée des instruments juridiques relatifs aux droits fondamentaux de l’enfant qui la renforcent d’une manière constante. L’enfant comorien grandit dans une société multiculturelle, marquée par la pauvreté. La protection dont il bénéficie s’appuie à la fois sur les traditions éducatives propres aux Comores, et sur la modernité, représentée par les apports juridiques liés à la colonisation et à la ratification de textes internationaux. Notre thèse se propose d’analyser les droits de l’enfant comorien dans un contexte complexe, caractérisé par la pluralité des sources juridiques. De ce fait, nous avons choisi deux angles d’approche : d’une part, nous avons essayé d’analyser les droits de l’enfant en fonction de l’organisation de la société comorienne et des balises de la protection de l’enfant sur le plan de la juristique, de l’histoire du droit, de l’anthropologie, de la sociologie et de l’ethnologie. Ceci nous a également permis de réfléchir à la protection de l’enfant tout en tenant compte des deux systèmes (formel et informel). D’autre part, nous avons tenté d’analyser l’application de la CIDE dans une société multiculturelle dominée par l’oralité. Ont également été analysés les textes internes et internationaux, les acteurs de la protection de l’enfance et leurs failles. Cette étude prétend amener l’Etat et la société civile à réfléchir à un modèle optimal de protection qui mettrait en conformité le droit positif avec les conventions dûment ratifiées, tout en tenant compte des réalités du pays . Une telle hypothèse nous a conduite à proposer un réaménagement du droit positif en matière de droit de l’enfant afin de parvenir à une réforme tant législative que judiciaire et en conformité avec le droit international. / Regarded for centuries as a subject devoid of any reflection, Comorian children are protected by a specific type of community protection. This is complemented by protection from the state which, inspired by the legal instruments relating to fundamental rights of the child, reinforces this community protection in a consistent manner. Comorian children grow up in a multicultural society, marked by poverty. The protection offered to these children is based on both the Comoros’ own educational traditions, and on modernity, represented by legal contributions related to settlement and ratification of international agreements. Our thesis analyzes the rights of Comorian children in a complex environment, characterized by a plurality of legal sources. Therefore, we chose two angles of approach. Firstly, we analyzed children’s rights based on the organization of the Comorian society and the markers of child protection in terms of legal sociology, history, law, anthropology, sociology, and ethnology. This also allowed us to reflect on the protection of children taking into account both formal and informal systems. Secondly, we analyzed the implementation of the CRC in a multicultural society dominated by the spoken word. We also analyzed domestic and international texts; actor’s involved in child protection, and their flaws. This study aims to have the state and civil society reflect on an optimal model for protecting children that would comply with ratified conventions, all while taking into account the realities of the country. This hypothesis led us to propose a reform of the law regarding children’s rights to achieve both legislative and judicial reform, all in accordance with international law.