Advancing Children’s Rights through Law and Policy: Experiences from Brazil, Scotland, and South Africa

Abstract

This article presents experiences of advancing children’s participation in law and policy in Brazil, Scotland and South Africa. It is based on a conversation that took place in a webinar hosted by the Policy Working Group of the International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership. Using duoethnography, we delve into three issues: (1) ways children participate in the development of child-related laws and policies; (2) the leverage points for navigating across well-entrenched power dynamics; and (3) reflections for progressing the children's rights project forward. The discussion indicates that structures and mechanisms, such as children’s parliaments and youth councils, support children’s participation in the development of law and policy. However, the lasting impact of children's participation is contingent on relational opportunities and the broader socio-political landscape. Part of undoing the legacy of children’s exclusion from the political realms involves disrupting conventional notions of intergenerational spaces by creative opportunities for better listening between children and decision-makers. Transforming the culture and process of decision-making for child rights also entails strategic advocacy with families, communities, various interest groups and civil society.