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Promoting the rights of all children
Children's rights introduction
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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.
...areness of unjustifiable conditions that are imposed on societies youngest and most powerless members. Intermingled with his convictions of the necessity for equality and justice are portraits of children who display a most astounding amount of hope and courage. It is an essential read for all who have plans to enter the field of education. Those of us who aspire to shape the minds of the future need to be aware that all children possess the ability to love and prosper despite whatever environment they have emerged from. It is our duty to provide all children, without regard to race or economic status, with the tools and opportunities they require in order to flourish and lead the satisfying lives that they so greatly desire and deserve.
Throughout the beginnings of history, a child working was not uncommon; they took jobs as messengers, apprentices, and wo...
In “Rods to Reasoning” Hays states that during the Middle Ages in Europe, if children were not “being fed, drugged, whipped, or tossed, they were often simple ignored (23). This was hardly the case in Industrial America. The view on children was changed from economically useful to emotionally priceless (Hays 32). When my grandmother and her family moved into the hotel, she believed she was fortunate enough to have the best childhood. She was seldom asked to help around the hotel and would often ask if there was anything she could do to help. Unlike the Puritan children who wanted to obey and please their parents so that they would be in good standing with their father to inherit land, children of the Industrial Era wanted to just please their parents to show their love and gratitude (Hays 31). Due to the new focus on childhood, a lot of literature about how to raise and treat a child was being published around this time. Rousseau declared that children would thrive when they were “treated with love and affection, and protected from the corruption of the larger society,” (qtd. in Hays 26). Protecting children from society and maintaining their innocence differed drastically from the Puritans who believed they had to break their children of their sinful nature (Hays 32). Growing up as my grandmother did, she passed down certain teachings and values to her children
Maybin, J. &Woodhead, M. (2003). Childhoods in context. Southern Gate, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Somewhere around the beginning of the seventeenth century, the perception of the nature of childhood -- its duration, its perceived purpose, its requirements, its quality -- changed rather significantly in the Eurocentric world, a period Valerie Suransky identifies as a watershed for the modern notion of childhood (1982, p. 6). Actually, two things seemed to have happened: first, the idea of childhood as a separate developmental stage began to arise; second, the idea of who was deserving of childhood also began to broaden. The pattern was similar in Europe and America, with some minor variations which resulted from geography, religion, etc., but the differences are inconsequential. Generally speaking, the factors which influenced this change are the view of the nature of humankind, the development of industry, urbanization, parents themselves, and the women's movement.
The various essays comprising Children in Colonial America look at different characteristics of childhood in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Children coming to the American colonies came from many different nations and through these essays, authors analyze children from every range of social class, race, and ability in order to present a broad picture of childhood in these times. While each essay deals with an individual topic pertaining to childhood, they all combine to provide a strong argument that children were extremely valued in society, were not tiny adults, and were active participants in society.
“Children were often used as means of power, and those victims felt powerless out of fear of losing contact” (Drijber, Reijnders & Ceelen, 2013)
The text depicts a historical perspective on Middle Childhood, as during the twentieth century, children were viewed primarily as an economic source of income, in terms of providing for the family. According to the text this happens often in European counties and in parts of the United States. Elizabeth D. Hutchinson, Dimensions of Human Behavior The Changing Life Course 3rd, 2008. In this short review we will look at how this historical perspective in itself is not a question to how, but when these individual give.
The dictionary definition of a child is a young human being, an immature person and offspring (Oxford, 1976). This idea is reflected in Mead’s statement ‘that children to adults are representative of something weak and helpless in need of protection, supervision, training, models, skills, beliefs and ‘character’’ (Montgomery et al, 2003, p vii). The emphasis is on the concept of the child by adults rather than the size or mentality raising the notion that a child, and therefore childhood, is not just a biological concept but also an ideological one (Falconer, 2009). This ideology makes an oxymoron of Children’s Literature according to Rose (Hunt, 2009a) as adults write, publish and purchase books with each set of adults having their own ideas about childh...
When we hear the word “orphan” we imagine a child whose parents have both died tragic deaths. Indeed, there were plenty of these pitiable creatures in Victorian society – the living and working conditions of the poor were so unsanitary and crowded that diseases such as typhus and tuberculosis often spread unchecked, sending many of their victims to the grave (Czarnik, “Living Conditions”). However, children were often considered “orphans” if they had one surviving parent, had been abandoned by their family, or were forced out into the world because of overcrowding at home (Cunningham, “Orphan Texts”). In 1861, it is estimated that 11% of children had lost a father by the age of 10, 11% a mother, and 1% had lost both parents (Czarnik).
Compared to people in the twenty-first century, with all their modern conveniences and technological advances, the life of any early-American seems difficult. However, the lives of children were among the most arduous. Linda Pollock states in her book Forgotten Children that between 1660 and 1800 families -and society in general- became more affectionate, child-oriented, and permissive of uniqueness and unstructured time (67). Although this may be true, many other sources depict the lives of children as taxing and oppressive at best. Children of the time were either forced to abandon education for their family contributions, or had to balance school with a full day's work ("Education"). Even when they were not in school or doing manual labor, their day-to-day lives were uncomfortable and harsh (Kids). Social status, as is expected, was a key factor in determining how hard a child's life would be (Murray 9). Although many children at the time had it easier than others they were all asked at an early age to take on adult responsibilities. The lives of all children in 1800 were mundane and difficult due to family and societal expectations for labor, schooling, and maturity.
Wells, Karen C.. "rescuing children and children's rights." Childhood in a global perspective. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2009. 168-169. Print.
When thinking about statistics on child abuse, it’s very helpful to know that the idea of “child abuse” is very controversial. Recently, in particular homes and cultures, child abuse has come to be seen as a major social problem and a main cause of many people’s suffering and personal problems. Some believe that we are beginning to face the true prevalence and significance of child abuse. There is more to child abuse than just the physical scars; children are affected socially, mentally, and emotionally. According to the American National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, in 1997, neglect represented 54% of confirmed cases of child abuse, physical abuse 22%, sexual abuse 8%, emotional maltreatment 4%, and other forms of maltreatment 12%.
Throughout the early 1800s, British women most often were relegated to a subordinate role in society by their institutionalized obligations, laws, and the more powerfully entrenched males. In that time, a young woman’s role was close to a life of servitude and slavery. Women were often controlled by the men in their lives, whether it was a father, brother or the eventual husband. Marriage during this time was often a gamble; one could either be in it for the right reasons, such as love, or for the wrong reasons, such as advancing social status. In 19th century Britain, laws were enacted to further suppress women and reflected the societal belief that women were supposed to do two things: marry and have children.
The effects of child abuse are multiple. The pain and trauma the abused child goes through is just a small part of how this cauldron of hidden depravity in our society affects all of us. Wrecked lives can be seen in persons of all ages and in all walks of life. Society as a whole is also effected by child abuse both in negative and positive ways. In this essay I will present some of the factor and results of this violent behavior on individuals as well as our culture.