NEW PUBLICATION: Advancing Children's Rights Through the Arts

I’m really excited to see this article in print. It builds on earlier work I’ve done, exploring human rights and children’s rights in children’s literature, and expands the project to consider how the arts can be a critical role in human rights education and the advancement of children’s rights and well-being.

Jonathan Todres & Ursula Kilkelly, “Advancing Children’s Rights through the Arts,” Human Rights Quarterly, 44(1): 38-55 (2022)

Abstract:

Although the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty, threats to children’s rights persist globally. One reason is that states have not met their threshold obligation to ensure that children’s rights are widely known, so that they may be respected and ensured. This article argues that an important way to disseminate children’s rights among children and adults is to partner with the arts. The article examines the benefits of a partnership between children’s rights and the arts and discusses the key elements of a children’s rights approach to the arts, as well as challenges to address.