Children's Rights in Central and Eastern Europe: A Comparative Analysis with a Spotlight on Lithuania (European Union and its Neighbours in a Globalized World, 29)

This open access book presents a thorough, multidisciplinary examination of children’s rights in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with a focus on Lithuania. Pursuing a comparative approach, it explores various aspects of children’s rights as established in constitutional, civil, administrative and criminal law in the region, while also discussing emerging issues. The book shares unique insights into the challenges and progress specific to individual CEE countries, many of which have undergone significant political, social, and legal transformations in recent decades.
The comparative analysis of practices and legal frameworks between Lithuania and other countries in the region and across various CEE countries is a key feature of the book. By comparing practices, case law and legal regulations across different CEE countries, it highlights both the diversity and the common challenges in the region. Moreover, such a comparative perspective is invaluable for policymakers, practitioners, and academics in terms of identifying best practices and learning from different countries’ experiences. The respective chapters offer evidence-based insights and recommendations to guide the development of more effective and rights-based approaches to child protection.
While aiming to enhance awareness and understanding of children’s rights, the book also seeks to fill a gap in the literature by focusing on the CEE region, an area often underrepresented and overlooked in global discussions on children’s rights. Bringing together a wide range of theoretical and empirical research from Lithuania and other CEE countries, it features contributions by researchers from the Baltic states, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Romania to provide a more holistic understanding of the challenges and advances in children’s rights in the CEE region.

Dr. Agnė Limantė is a chief researcher at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. She has received an MA in EU law from King’s College London and a PhD degree from Vilnius University, Lithuania. Her particular research interests include human rights, family law and private international family law. Overall, after defending her PhD thesis, Dr. Limantė has published over 40 scientific papers in national and international journals or as chapters of books.

Dr. Rūta Vaičiūnienė is a senior researcher and the Head of the Criminological Research Department at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. Her research interests include sociology of imprisonment, sociology of gender with a focus on domestic violence, critical criminology, youth justice, and correctional programming. She is the author of more than 20 scientific papers, including research articles in highly ranked journals. Dr. Vaičiūnienė has gained different research experience in more than 10 national and international research projects.