Children's Rights

At the onset, early in the seventeenth century, children suffered corporal punishment at the hands of their parents and educational institutions and, moreover, under the governing rules of religious institutions, children were abandoned, sexually abused and sometimes killed. Hugh Cunningham, a Professor of Social History, in his book entitled Children and Childhood: In Western SocietySince 1500 analyzes the historical context of family and child rearing and highlights influences that have helped shaped the rights of children. He asserts that the “history of childhood was a history of progress, that the experience of being a child, and an understanding of the nature of childhood have improved over time” (Cunningham 40). Thus, children have emerged from hundreds of years of being unjustly and unfairly treated, to persons with rights –children’s rights. In addition to this, the importance of equality between race, gender and children’s welfare has resulted in a myriad of laws implemented to improve the life and, specifically, the treatment of children. In examining the role of child rearing, child labour, education, state’s interest and the women’s movement, it is evident that these serve as turning points that have shaped the history of children’s rights in society.

The importance of child rearing is influential in propelling the rights of children in society. Cunningham highlights the historical context of child rearing and argues that early in the seventeenth century, the importance of religion, specifically Catholicism, as having a growing emphasis on the duties of parents towards their children. Fathers were the masters of their household and were granted permission by the Church to have power over the life and death of their ...

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...torically, DeMause asserts that children have experienced tremendous cruelty and neglect and also, children were likely to have been killed, abandoned, beaten, terrorized and sexually abused by their caretakers (DeMause par.2). Clearly, the historical experiences of children with religion, labor, education, gender and politics are turning points that affect the way in which children experience life. In addition, there seems to be a growing interconnectedness between parents, children and the social constructs outside the family unit that significantly affect the socialization and life of children. In order to promote and foster a world free of injustices, society must continue to be concerned with the cruelty and discrimination of children. Every child has the right to live a worthy and dignified life and thus, society must strive to uphold the rights of children.