Over the past ten years the concept of children's rights has received a greater amount of attention in legal discourse. Internationally, incidents of child labour, child sexual exploitation and child abductions appear to be increasing at an exponential rate. In many nations of the Western world, high suicide rates amongst teens, the growth of the child prostitution industry, and a higher number of young offenders accused of violent crimes have impacted all our communities. In the South and in many countries in transition the use of child soldiers, a high child mortality rate and the widespread trafficking of young people seem to continuously expanding their reach. Jurisprudence developing from the decisions of domestic courts, administrative tribunals and within international fora have provided insights into policy issues while at the same time offering contradictory messages on the legal responsibility and status of children. Because of this, there is a need to better understand the current status of the law and what your role may be - as lawyers, advocates or concerned members of civil society - in ensuring that the rights of all citizens are respected, regardless of their age. It is often said that the phrase "children's rights" is a slogan in search of a definition. This course will attempt to find its meaning by surveying the history and legal development of children's rights internationally.

Research Essay 80%
Class Participation 20%

International Child Law, 2nd edition by Trevor Buck (Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2011).

A full up-to-date reading list will be provided in the course outline.