Recent developments in ‘children's rights’: liberation for whom?

This article reviews some developments in'children's rights' in the 1980s and 1990s. It explores the notion of'children's rights' itself and considers how far an emphasis on children's rights is reflected in different areas of recent government policy relating to children in four different respects. First, the significance of the Children Act 1989 for children's rights is examined. Secondly, there are a number of other areas of policy which may be seen to reinforce childrens's rights. These include changes in the treatment of child witnesses and the gradual prohibition of physical punishment. Thirdly, the Child Support Act 1991 is considered - here, in contrast to other policies, children's rights barely figure at all. Fourthly, the article notes how government policies have tended to exacerbate child poverty, which is also in conflict with children's rights. The article then discusses the ambiguous direction of government policy in relation to children's rights. Two different themes are identified: first, greater autonomy for the child plus protection of child welfare; and secondly, liberation for the state from responsibility for children.     

“Time Immemorial” and Indigenous Rights: A Genealogy and Three Case Studies (Calder,Van der Peet,Tsilhqot'in) from British Columbia

“Time immemorial” has operated as a legal fiction in the discourse of colonization, performing a genealogical function in the construction of “antiquity” and “legal memory” in English law, and repurposed in Indigenous rights cases in Canada. Beginning with a genealogical outline, this paper analyzes “time immemorial” in relation to Settler and Indigenous discourses of time, memory and the land in Calder, Van der Peet, and Tsilhqot'in.     

The mental health status of Latino children in the public child welfare system: a look at the role of generation and origin

As the number of Latino children in public child welfare continues to grow, it is necessary to understand how their mental health is faring. The paper examines emotional and behavioural needs among Latino children who had contact with the public child welfare system. The purpose of this longitudinal study was twofold: to examine the severity of emotional and behavioural problems, and to assess the predictive role of generation status and Latino origin. Latent growth models were completed using the National Survey on Children and Adolescent Well‐Being. The predictive model for the externalizing CBCL scale revealed that generation status and Latino origin were significant predictors. At baseline, Puerto Rican children exhibited higher rates of externalizing problems compared with Mexican children. Over time children who were first/second generation tended to have lower scores compared with the third‐plus generation children. Implications for practise are discussed.     

The process of coping with domestic violence in adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Research suggests that the use of disengaged or avoidant strategies to cope with interpersonal violence contributes to the development of depressive symptoms and other psychological difficulties. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) who are exposed to subsequent episodes of abuse may be more likely to rely on disengaged coping strategies, placing them at elevated risk of psychological symptomatology. In this study, we explored the interrelationships between coping, depression, and self-esteem in an ethnically diverse sample of domestic violence survivors (N = 219) with and without a history of CSA. As predicted, CSA survivors (n = 86) reported significantly greater use of disengaged coping strategies (wishful thinking, self-criticism, and social withdrawal) than non-CSA survivors (n = 133). As hypothesized, both a CSA history and the use of disengaged coping significantly predicted higher levels of depression and lower self- esteem. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.