XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 13-19, 2014)

July 13 - 19, 2014

JS-25

Children: Inequality and Rights

RC19 Sociology of Poverty, Social Welfare and Social Policy (host committee)
WG02 Historical and Comparative Sociology

Language: English

The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations in 1989. Since then, all nations of the world but two have ratified it, committing themselves to implementing its standards universally and without discrimination. Yet, globally an average of 25,000 children under 5 die each day from poverty-related causes; 67 million children of primary school age are still denied the right to education; and 150 million children are engaged in child labour (UNICEF, 2009). Wide disparities exist across regions in the implementation of children’s rights to survival and development. But marked disparities in the fulfillment of children’s rights also exist within nations, linked to geographical location, ethnicity, gender, disability, and access to essential services such as health care, nutrition and education. What can be done to raise the level of implementation of child rights standards around the world? This session will focus on rights-based approaches to reducing inequalities among children.