It is observed that efforts are made to benefit from the perspective of the Universal Convention on the Rights of the Child and to undertake the protection and promotion of children's rights more effectively in countries that are members of the European Union/membership process with the European Union Agreement (Lisbon Treaty) which came into…

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) recently had its 30th anniversary. Emerging from the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, it has since become the most ratified international human rights treaty ever. Most European countries ratified it and are thus obliged to ensure the implementation of children's rights in practice.…

Thirty years have passed since Germany ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and is now on the verge of incorporating it into its Basic Law. This article takes a closer look at recent developments in strengthening children's rights in Germany, focusing on vulnerable children and youth, such as members of the Romani…

In this paper, we want to present research on children's perspectives in the context of participation. We emphasize that the survey of children's perspectives is a form of participation. We understand participation based on children's rights. We refer to the Lundy model ([2007]. "'Voice' Is Not Enough: Conceptualising Article 12 of the United…

This study targets hitherto largely understudied empirical processes and activities through which certain ideas and imaginaries are being commercialised and used by corporate actors in the global Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) industry. The aim is to analyse and critically discuss representations of the Scandinavian ECEC regime in the…

Homeschooling is legal and growing in many countries but is virtually forbidden by law in Germany and a few others. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has reviewed and upheld this ban. Is home education a human right? How do these courts employ their jurisprudence of proportionality to find banning home education does not violate relevant…

This study investigates the role played by parents as mediators of young children's access and engagement with digital technologies. In Belgium, Germany, Latvia and Portugal, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 families in each country, including one child between 6 and 7 years old. Our findings show that parents of young…

This article reports on the initial findings from an ethnographic study conducted in a preparatory class for young refugees in Cologne, Germany. Focusing on the current language policy which aims to integrate newly arrived children into the German society through language assimilation in schools, this study examines how such policies (re)produce…

The philosophical debate on educational justice currently focusses on the Anglo-American situation. This essay brings in an additional perspective. It provides a justice-oriented critique of the segregated education systems in German-speaking countries. First, arguments that are commonly put forward in favour of these systems are rejected. Second,…

Whether a migrant, refugee or internally displaced, a child is a child. Every child has the right to an education. Yet many of the 50 million uprooted children in the world are in desperate need of education--not "despite" being uprooted from their homes, but "because" they are uprooted from their homes. Without education, how…

Recent political socialisation research focuses almost exclusively on the orientations of adolescents, even though the literature seems to agree on the assumption that politically relevant orientations and attitudes are acquired much earlier in the life span. This article argues that it is essential to look at the beginning of socialisation if we…

Since the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified in 1991, children's right to have a voice, and to have their opinions heard, has led many providers and practitioners in the field of early years to seek ways to involve children's perspectives in the evaluation and development of practice. Those who value democracy understand that…

The article presents the legal situation of home education in Germany as a multi-level problem touching upon German constitutional law, State (Länder) constitutional law as well as administrative law, and the liberties of the European Convention of Human Rights. Whereas the parents' right to care for their children is explicitly granted by German…

It is now 10 years since the "European Declaration on the Health of Children and Young People with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families: Better Health -- Better Lives" was adopted by the World Health Organization. Through discussions with key informants and an online literature review, we reflect on actions and progress made in…

This paper starts with the increasing discussions on juridification in education. Concerning theorizing on such processes, we examine the poor implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD (2008) in the school sector of Germany. The paper considers the…