The development of effective tactics for teaching children’s rights protection

Teaching children about their rights is crucial for their development as responsible citizens and advocates for social justice. However, the approach to children’s rights education varies, with some focusing on informing children about their rights without allowing for their exercise, while others selectively teach certain aspects of rights.

The society must explore the development of effective tactics to teach children’s rights protection, considering the challenges and misconceptions surrounding this topic.

As reflected by Howe and Covell on “Miseducating children about their rights” (Education Citizenship and Social Justice, 2010) children’s rights education encompasses teaching children about their roles, rights, and responsibilities as future adult citizens and is needed for the understanding of children’s rights education.

This approach aims to empower children by enabling them to exercise their rights and understand the importance of protecting the rights of others. However, it is essential to move beyond selective teaching and provide a comprehensive understanding of children’s rights.

One of the main challenges in teaching children’s rights is the reluctance to address this topic due to inadequate knowledge and understanding of children’s rights. Some educators fear a loss of authority in the classroom, while others believe that children’s immaturity hinders their ability to exercise rights.

These misconceptions can hinder the development of effective tactics for teaching children’s rights protection.

Following Karlsson on “‘Do you know what we do when we want to play?’ children’s hidden politics of resistance and struggle for play in a Swedish asylum centre” there are several tactics for teaching children’s rights protection. To overcome these challenges, educators and stakeholders have developed various tactics to teach children’s rights protection effectively. One approach is to incorporate children’s own experiences and perspectives into the curriculum.

By focusing on children’s lived rights and their everyday contexts, educators can help children understand their rights in a meaningful way.  Another tactic is to provide age-appropriate information about children’s rights, ensuring that children understand their rights and responsibilities at different stages of their development as Howe and Covell said. This approach allows for a gradual and comprehensive understanding of rights, empowering children to exercise and protect their rights.

Following Dunhil on “Does teaching children about human rights, encourage them to practice, protect and promote the rights of others?”, collaboration between local governments, stakeholders, and educational institutions is also crucial in fulfilling children’s rights.

By working together, these entities can develop policies and programs that promote children’s rights education and create a supportive environment for children to exercise their rights.  In addition, teaching children’s rights through problem-based learning (PBL) has shown promising results. This is also reflected by Ashour et al on “Nurses’ awareness about children’s health rights” (International Journal of Health Sciences, 2022).

The research from Wright & Taylor on “Advocacy by parents of young children with special needs: activities, processes, and perceived effectiveness” (Journal of Social Service Research, 2014) reflects that PBL allows children to think critically, research, and embody the subject matter while working on real-world problems related to children’s rights. This approach promotes active engagement and empowers children to become advocates for their own rights and the rights of others.  Furthermore, parental advocacy plays a significant role in teaching children’s rights protection. Parents can be educated and empowered to advocate for their children’s rights in educational settings.

In fact, the authors prove that providing parents with support, knowledge, and skills to be effective advocates can contribute to the overall protection and promotion of children’s rights.

In conclusion, teaching children’s rights protection requires a comprehensive and empowering approach that goes beyond mere information dissemination. By incorporating children’s perspectives, providing age-appropriate education, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and promoting parental advocacy, educators can develop effective tactics to teach children about their rights.

Overcoming misconceptions and challenges is essential to ensure that children grow up to be informed and active participants in society, advocating for the protection of their rights and the rights of others.

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