CDHR1065 | Child Development & Human Rights

Course Information

  • 2019-20
  • CDHR1065
  • 5-Year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.), LL.M.
  • III
  • Nov 2019
  • Elective Course

The rights of children were not studied critically until 20th century. The League of Nations established a committee on Child Welfare in 1919 marking the beginning of the study on child rights. The Geneva Declaration in 1924 recognized and affirmed the existence of rights specific to children and the responsibility of adults towards children. Later, United Nations took over the Geneva Declaration in 1946 after the Second World War. The course titled “Child Rights Law” intends to introduce the concept of children’s rights through rights based approach (as defined in General Comment No. 13, para. 59, Committee on the Rights of the Child). The course essentially deals with conceptual and theoretical understanding of the rights of the child, international law on child rights and domestic legal framework pertaining to child rights in India.

A comprehensive study on child rights would require examination of evolution of the idea of childhood and children as right holders in the international human rights law.. This course would also attempt to portray the paradigm shift from child protection approaches to child rights approaches i.e. children perceived and treated as “objects” to rights holders entitled to non- negotiable rights to protection in the international, regional and national legal mechanisms.

All children have equal rights. However, the condition/ situation for exercising these rights may not be identical. This course examines the concept to the childhood and various classic and contemporary theories relating to children’s rights. . It is also pertinent to deal with the key Indian legislations and policies that address the different age groups and categories of rights. Various issues relating to the child rights, inter alia role of family, adoption of child, abuse and neglect of the child, child labour and trafficking, juvenile justice, education, food and nutrition would be explored and addressed in this course. The focus of the course and the curriculum would be anchored around legal issues concerning child rights and its interaction with the society. A critical analysis of the  issues confronted by the child right’s law framework would serve as an underlying thread to this course.
The predominant pedagogical tools would be lectures and discussions. Case study method would be adopted wherever necessary and feasible. The students will be required to submit response papers for the documentaries screened.

Faculty

Suchithra Menon C

Visiting Faculty