Children's Rights and Children's Quality of Life: Conceptual and Practical Issues

Social representations of childhood are presented briefly, and the Convention of the Rights of the Child of the United Nations is analysed as an opportunity to change some representations that make adults think of children as a different, less important category of people. If the Convention becomes a reality, it is considered that children's well-being and children's quality of life should improve. The need of social indicators and of data from children's own perspective is discussed -- as for example research data on children's perceptions and evaluations of their own rights --. Implementation and monitoring the Convention is analysed as an important challenge for the academic community. Some important aspects to be considered from the international perspective are presented, selected among the preliminary conclusions of some country case studies of an international project actually trying to develop children's rights indicators.