Edited by Kathleen Alaimo and Brian Klug - Contributions by Marta Santos Pais; Cynthia Price Cohen; Målfrid Grude Flekkøy; Rosalind Ekman Ladd; Christina M. Bellon; David S. Tanenhaus; Joan M. Smith; Lewis Pitts; Roger J. R. Levesque; Sara Ellen Kitchen a

Children as Equals explores the subject of children's rights. The twelve chapters are written by authors whose disciplines include history, law, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The book explores such questions as: What is a child? How did the movement for the rights of the child originate, and what is its relation to the human rights movement? What do we mean by rights? To which rights are children entitled? Should their rights vary with age and competency? What about the rights of parents? The complete text of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), to which nearly all the chapters refer, is reproduced in an Appendix. Several chapters examine the implications of two of the Convention's fundamental principles: 'the best interests of the child' and 'the evolving capacities of the child.' Four chapters focus on the legal status of children in the United States, especially in connection with custody and abuse. The book aims to introduce the subject of children's rights to a general educated audience, and provides a thoughtful resource for academics, legal professionals, counseling practitioners, policymakers, lawmakers, and parents.

Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Acknowledgments Chapter 3 Introduction Chapter 4 Historical Roots of Children's Rights in Europe and the United States Chapter 5 Wendy and Peter Pan: Exploring the Concept of the Child Chapter 6 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Developing International Norms to Create a New World for Children Chapter 7 Psychology and the Rights of the Child Chapter 8 Rights of the Child: A Philosophical Approach Chapter 9 The Promise of Rights for Children: Best Interests and Evolving Capacities Chapter 10 Creating the Child, Constructing the State: People v. Turner, 1870 Chapter 11 A Child-Centered Jurisprudence: Reconciling the Rights of Children and Parents Within the Family Chapter 12 The Right to Be Heard: The Child as a Legal Person Chapter 13 Child Advocacy in the United States and the Power of International Human Rights Law Chapter 14 Children's Rights in the Curriculum Chapter 15 Children's Studies and the Human Rights of Children: Toward a Unified Approach Chapter 16 Appendix: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) Chapter 17 Suggestions for Further Reading Chapter 18 Index Chapter 19 About the Contributors