Young Children in the World and Their Rights: Thirty Years with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

This book provides different perspectives on the concept of children’s rights, including policy, educational, and children’s perspectives. It examines how the crucial ideas of the Convention on the Rights of the Child  are respected and implemented in 14 countries in five regions of the world. It looks at early childhood education, children’s participatory rights, and at how these rights are promoted and guaranteed in different countries. It explores the professional practice of education and its complexities, challenges and dilemmas, as well as the role of play, and of listening and participation. The book advocates children’s rights today, arguing for its vital importance, in the best interests of the children. In doing so, it furthers the understanding of children’s rights and spreads knowledge about the Convention, as a means of celebrating its 30th anniversary.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) comprises the potential to change the livesof children to the very best. It may exalt children from the position of marginalized citizens to the centre of policies all over the world. Even though the concept of children’s rights is omnipresent, the respect for children’s rights must be discussed. While the Convention brings the new perspective of children as citizens to the world, there are still challenges in its application. The book interrogates challenges in understanding and applying children rights and offers possible answers to these challenges. The ratification process itself, does not guarantee that children’s rights are respected. While all adults should take responsibility for implementing the UNCRC in everyday life, Early Childhood Education should give opportunities for children to learn and live their rights.

Adrijana Višnjić-Jevtić, Assistant Professor at the Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb. During the last ten years, she has been developing and organizing professional development programs for early childhood teachers in Croatia and Europe. Her research interests are early childhood education, cooperation between families and educational institutions and early childhood teachers’ competences and professionalism. She is a member of OMEP, EECERA and TACTYC.

Alicja R. Sadownik, Associate Professor at the Kindergarten Knowledge Center for Systemic Research on Diversity and Sustainable Futures at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Her main research is on childhood(s), ECE settings and parental cooperation in the context of migration and socio-cultural diversity. Additional research interest is connected to local and international educational policies as conditions for high quality ECE services, parental and caregivers’ involvement and the good life of children.

Ingrid Engdahl, Associate Professor, is a preschool teacher and psychologist, with a PhD in Child and Youth Sciences from Stockholm University, Sweden. Her main research interests are the holistic development of early childhood education, focusing on toddlers, play, the perspective of the child, education for sustainability and the rights of the child. Since 2019, she is the European president for OMEP, the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education, and the project leader for the World OMEP ESD Project.