Children's Rights Law in the Global Human Rights Landscape : Isolation, Inspiration, Integration?

Children's rights law is often studied and perceived in isolation from the broader field of human rights law. This volume explores the inter-relationship between children's rights law and more general human rights law in order to see whether elements from each could successfully inform the other. Children's rights law has a number of distinctive characteristics, such as the emphasis on the 'best interests of the child', the use of general principles, and the inclusion of 'third parties' (e.g. parents and other care-takers) in treaty provisions. The first part of this book questions whether these features could be a source of inspiration for general human rights law. In part two, the reverse question is asked: could children's rights law draw inspiration from developments in other branches of human rights law that focus on other specific categories of rights holders, such as women, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, or older persons? Finally, the interaction between children's rights law and human rights law - and the potential for their isolation, inspiration or integration - may be coloured or determined by the thematic issue under consideration. Therefore the third part of the book studies the interplay between children's rights law and human rights law in the context of specific topics: intra-family relations, LGBTQI marginalization, migration, media, the environment and transnational human rights obligations. Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Notes on Contributors......Page 10 Introduction......Page 16 Inspiring other human rights regimes......Page 17 Best interests......Page 18 General principles......Page 19 Inclusion of third parties......Page 20 Learning from other categorical human rights regimes......Page 21 Women’s rights......Page 22 Rights of persons with disabilities......Page 23 Indigenous peoples’ rights......Page 24 Rights of older persons......Page 25 Enriching children’s rights with insights and concerns from other human rights fields......Page 26 Enriching other human rights fields with insights from or a focus on children’s rights......Page 28 Reasons for pro-integration viewpoints......Page 30 Notes......Page 32 PART I: The broader relevance of features of children’s rights law......Page 34 1 Distinctive characteristics of children’s human rights law......Page 36 1.1 Indivisibility of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights......Page 37 1.2 New substantive norms or elements......Page 39 1.3 The ‘best interests of the child’......Page 41 1.4 General principles......Page 42 1.5.1 Beyond the state......Page 44 1.5.2 Beyond the domestic state......Page 46 Notes......Page 47 2.1 Introduction......Page 52 2.2 Upholding the child-specificity of the best interests principle......Page 53 2.3 Avoiding an artificial and sterile universalism......Page 55 2.4 Entrenching and reinforcing opaque decision-making......Page 57 2.5 The best interests principle is not antithetic to the interests of adults......Page 60 2.6 Conclusion......Page 61 Notes......Page 62 3.1 Introduction......Page 67 3.2 The general principles......Page 68 3.3.1 States parties and other duty bearers......Page 73 3.3.3 Academic scholarship......Page 75 3.4 What can the ‘general principles’ approach contribute to other areas of human rights law?......Page 76 3.4.1 Human rights treaties adopted prior to the CRC......Page 77 3.4.2 Treaties adopted after the CRC: the CRPD......Page 79 3.5 Conclusion......Page 81 Notes......Page 82 4.1 Introduction......Page 86 4.2 Parents in the CRC: legal analysis of Articles 3(2) and (3), 5 and 18 CRC......Page 87 4.3 Parental rights, duties and responsibilities in relation to the child’s right to freedom of religion......Page 90 4.4 The children’s rights/parental rights dichotomy in the US campaign to ratify the CRC......Page 93 4.5 Conciliation between children’s rights and parental rights, duties and responsibilities......Page 96 4.5.1 Duties......Page 97 4.5.3 Responsibilities......Page 98 4.6 Inclusion of third parties in other human rights law instruments......Page 99 Notes......Page 101 PART II: Inspiration for children’s rights from categorical human rights......Page 106 5.1 Women and children in international human rights law......Page 108 5.2 Emancipation rights: a distinct category of human rights......Page 109 5.3 Women’s rights and children’s rights as emancipation rights......Page 111 5.4 A crucial emancipation tool: Article 5 CEDAW......Page 114 5.5 Lessons for children’s rights......Page 117 Notes......Page 119 6.1.1 A pessimistic reading......Page 124 6.1.2 An optimistic reading......Page 127 6.2 New rights for children with disabilities......Page 131 6.3 New rights for all?......Page 134 6.4 Extending and reconfiguring existing rights......Page 135 6.5 Revisiting capacity: status, functionality, best interests and supported decision-making......Page 137 Notes......Page 141 7.2.1 The definitional tangle......Page 144 7.2.2 Creating dichotomies . . . and building some bridges?......Page 148 7.3 Western constructions......Page 149 7.4 Participation and consent......Page 153 Notes......Page 156 8.1 Introduction......Page 161 8.2 Movement towards a convention for older persons......Page 162 8.3 A new treaty would create a double opportunity if the scope is controlled......Page 164 8.4 Monitoring of human rights: making it smarter......Page 166 8.5 Adding principles to the listed rights......Page 167 8.6.2 Participation as a principle and right......Page 169 8.6.3 The right to be protected against age-based discrimination......Page 170 8.6.4 The right to health......Page 171 8.6.7 The right to social security and an adequate standard of living......Page 173 8.6.8 The right to housing......Page 174 8.7 Third parties and procedural rights......Page 175 8.8 Conclusion: following the example of children’s rights law but with improvements that could then be picked up in children’s rights law......Page 177 Notes......Page 178 PART III: The interplay between children’s rights law and human rights law in thematic areas......Page 186 9.1 Introduction......Page 188 9.2.1 General aspects......Page 189 9.2.2.1 Article 5 CEDAW......Page 190 9.2.2.3 Article 16 CEDAW......Page 192 9.2.2.4 Conclusions......Page 193 9.3.1 General aspects......Page 194 9.3.2 The approach under the CRC to the triangular relationship of state–parents–child in general......Page 195 9.3.3 The approach of the CRC to the parental roles of mothers and fathers as distinct and gendered categories......Page 196 9.3.3.1 Motherhood as a biological function......Page 198 9.3.4 Conclusions......Page 199 9.4 Towards a more integrated approach to intra-family relations......Page 200 9.5 Concluding remarks......Page 202 Notes......Page 203 10.1 Introduction......Page 207 10.2 Preliminary remarks......Page 208 10.3 The right to be heard and the right to participation......Page 210 10.4 The best interests of the child......Page 213 10.5 The CRC and the right to education......Page 217 10.6 Conclusion......Page 219 Notes......Page 220 11.1 Introduction......Page 225 11.2.1 Central image of the child: vulnerability and agency......Page 226 11.2.3 Heterogeneity within the vulnerable group of children......Page 227 11.3.1.1 The Committee on Migrant Workers and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women......Page 228 11.3.2 European Court of Human Rights......Page 229 11.3.3 European Committee of Social Rights......Page 233 11.4 Arguments in favour of the integration of a nuanced vulnerability concept in human rights law......Page 234 11.4.1.1 Intricate connection between autonomy or agency and vulnerability......Page 235 11.4.1.2 Contextual or relational vulnerability......Page 237 11.4.2 Added value of a nuanced vulnerability concept for the analysis of the situation of undocumented migrants......Page 238 Notes......Page 240 12.1.2 Children as media subjects......Page 246 12.2.1 United Nations......Page 247 12.2.2 Council of Europe......Page 249 12.3 Children’s rights in today’s information society......Page 251 12.3.1 Protection......Page 252 12.3.2 Participation......Page 253 12.4 Exploring the unique characteristics of children’s rights in the media environment......Page 256 12.5 Imperfect but inspirational?......Page 259 Notes......Page 260 13.1 Introduction......Page 266 13.2 New century, new challenges on the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child......Page 267 13.2.1 Human rights and the environment......Page 269 13.2.2 Children’s specificity and environmental rights......Page 271 13.3.1.1 Right to health......Page 272 13.3.1.2 Right to education......Page 274 13.3.2.1 Right to life, survival and development......Page 275 13.3.2.2 Right to an adequate standard of living......Page 276 13.3.2.3 Right to leisure, play and culture......Page 277 13.3.3.1 The best interests of the child......Page 278 13.3.3.2 Respect for the views of the child......Page 279 13.4 Conclusion: A claim for an additional level of human rights protection for children in the movement towards recognition of a general environmental right......Page 280 Notes......Page 281 14.2 Situating children’s rights in the business and human rights debate......Page 288 14.2.1 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights......Page 290 14.2.2 OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises......Page 292 14.3 A Specific business and children’s rights focus......Page 293 14.3.1 Children’s Rights and Business Principles......Page 294 14.3.2 CRC Committee General Comment No 16......Page 296 14.4.1.1 UN Guiding Principles......Page 298 14.4.1.2 OECD Guidelines......Page 301 14.4.2.1 Children’s Rights and Business Principles......Page 302 14.5.1 General human rights frameworks......Page 303 14.5.2 Children’s rights specific frameworks......Page 304 14.5.3 The way forward......Page 305 Notes......Page 307 Index......Page 317