To echo this, I’m grateful to Skye for raising the topic here and providing an opening for the discussion between harfe, Lauren, and Linch. I hope that Skye wasn’t dissuaded by the criticism, because I think there is a strong case that certain aspects of children’s advocacy are (currently) more tractable in developed countries. We have lots of examples of changes to the law in favour of children happening via established institutions.
Differences between regional legal systems need to be taken into account, but to provide an interesting example from the UK: section 58 of the Children Act 2004 specifies that hitting a child can be justified by a parent or guardian as long as it is “reasonable punishment” and doesn’t amount to “actual bodily harm” (long-term injury). This was revoked by the Children Act 2019 in Scotland and in 2020 in Wales, with each taking a couple of years to come into effect. Now children effectively have the same legal protection from assault and battery as adults in these countries, including from their parents. Any EAs based in the UK with any inclination towards national-scale advocacy would be well placed to push for similar changes in England and Northern Ireland.
How these acts came about might also make an interesting case study for possible replication in other places—and to determine if these problems are “neglected” enough for EAs. I haven’t read the history, but I suspect national charities like Barnado’s and the NSPCC along with international organisations like UNICEF were involved to varying degrees.
I also agree with the broader thrust of Skye’s post that children almost universally lack the legal and political framework to represent their own interests, so it is up to adults to advocate for them. Even if we can show that conditions are worse for children along most metrics in developing countries (as Lauren puts forward well), I still think children would be worth advocating for in developed countries for the right EAs.
Meta: looks like this is Skye’s first post on the EA Forum. Welcome, Skye! Thanks for your courage in posting this!
To echo this, I’m grateful to Skye for raising the topic here and providing an opening for the discussion between harfe, Lauren, and Linch. I hope that Skye wasn’t dissuaded by the criticism, because I think there is a strong case that certain aspects of children’s advocacy are (currently) more tractable in developed countries. We have lots of examples of changes to the law in favour of children happening via established institutions.
Differences between regional legal systems need to be taken into account, but to provide an interesting example from the UK: section 58 of the Children Act 2004 specifies that hitting a child can be justified by a parent or guardian as long as it is “reasonable punishment” and doesn’t amount to “actual bodily harm” (long-term injury). This was revoked by the Children Act 2019 in Scotland and in 2020 in Wales, with each taking a couple of years to come into effect. Now children effectively have the same legal protection from assault and battery as adults in these countries, including from their parents. Any EAs based in the UK with any inclination towards national-scale advocacy would be well placed to push for similar changes in England and Northern Ireland.
How these acts came about might also make an interesting case study for possible replication in other places—and to determine if these problems are “neglected” enough for EAs. I haven’t read the history, but I suspect national charities like Barnado’s and the NSPCC along with international organisations like UNICEF were involved to varying degrees.
I also agree with the broader thrust of Skye’s post that children almost universally lack the legal and political framework to represent their own interests, so it is up to adults to advocate for them. Even if we can show that conditions are worse for children along most metrics in developing countries (as Lauren puts forward well), I still think children would be worth advocating for in developed countries for the right EAs.