Children's Rights and Intercountry Adoption: Reconstructing the African Union's Role
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
-
McQuillin, Anna
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies
- Abstract
- Analyzing the normative instruments for children’s rights on the African continent involves detailed exploration of the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child and the OAU’s/AU’s African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child with the specific example of intercountry adoption. Through researching both instruments and their comparative and constructive impacts on children’s rights, this thesis necessarily extends analysis to the history of the concept of childhood and children’s rights. The ‘question’ or ‘problem’ of incorporating children into the broader framework of human rights did not naturally flow from Enlightenment concepts of human rights, yet the specific complexities of childhood agency and dependency in a rights framework are illustrative not only for children but also for our understanding and application of human rights to all of humanity. The conclusion of this thesis is multi-faceted as its aims and questions cover broadly the histories and normative analysis of childhood, children’s rights, and both the CRC and ACRWC. First, children’s dependency and agency presents simultaneously and does not preclude the crafting of rights in line with universal human rights for children. Secondly, the creation of the universal CRC involved ideas and concepts from non-Western countries given the circumstances of the mid-20th century. And, lastly, the ACRWC is neither a carbon copy of nor a total departure from the CRC; instead, the two frameworks additively work to set norms for children’s rights in African states. Although the specific study of intercountry adoption throughout the thesis’ analysis of children’s rights nominally affects very few children, it further complicates and makes tangible the most complex aspects of children’s and human rights. The inclusion of children’s rights and the teasing out of complexities within the CRC and the ACRWC continues to occur as the frameworks are implemented in a variety of circumstances. The African Union created these norms and works to implement them in African states, drawing on the history of childhood, children’s rights, and drafting normative instruments such as those analyzed in this thesis.
- Date of publication
- March 2018
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Advisor
- Sahle, Eunice
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts
- Academic concentration
- African, African American & Diaspora Studies
- Honors level
- Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Graduation year
- 2018
- Language
- English
Relations
- Parents:
This work has no parents.
Items
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
2018_McQuillin.pdf | 2019-05-17 | Public | Download |