Publications
Climate Action and the UNCRC: A ‘Postpaternalist’ World Where Children Claim Their Own Rights
In this paper, it is argued that we are in a ‘postpaternalist’ era for children’s rights, involving grassroots action from children (for the first time, on a global scale) rather than well-meaning adults ‘giving’ children their rights. Child/youth climate action has involved under-18s acting for the environment through grassroots protest, media work and lobbying. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has arguably to date been approached in a paternalist way, whereby children need adults to help them to access rights. Yet, child/youth climate advocates have taken their own action, and demand equality as they enter rights spaces. They are frequently working with adults as equals and allies in litigating climate cases, for example. It is argued that (although there are rights challenges in a postpaternalist time) these young rights leaders have transformed human rights for the better, and adults should facilitate their work in a way that is child- and youth-friendly.
- Authors
Aoife Daly, Nabin Maharjan, Esther Montesinos Calvo-Fernández, Liesl Heila Muller, Emily Margaret Murray, Alicia O'Sullivan, Florencia Paz Landeira and Katie Reid.
- Year
- 2024
- Journal Name
- Youth
- Category
- Journal Article
- Keywords
- Postpaternalism; UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC); youth climate action; climate cases; right to a healthy environment.
- Project
Youth Climate Justice.
- Full Citation
Daly, Aoife, Nabin Maharjan, Esther Montesinos Calvo-Fernández, Liesl Heila Muller, Emily Margaret Murray, Alicia O’Sullivan, Florencia Paz Landeira, and Katie Reid. 2024. "Climate Action and the UNCRC: A ‘Postpaternalist’ World Where Children Claim Their Own Rights" Youth 4, no. 4: 1387-1404. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth4040088
You can read a summary of this article here: Daly et al (2024) Postpaternalism Article Summary.
- Link to Publication
- https://www.mdpi.com/2673-995X/4/4/88
