Analysis Of The Status Of Children As Active Political Citizens

In the Article Young People as Active Political Citizens Andrew Lockyer addresses a theory that has long been problematic, the proper place and status of children in liberal democracy. In the later portion of the twentieth century there was an increase in recognition of children’s rights, which has continued to grow and has raised scholarly discussion on the status of children as citizens. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has taken the lead in promoting and protecting the rights of young people, but the question still remains unanswered; what is the status of children as citizens? The author suggests there are three ways of viewing the relationship between children and citizenship. First, children can be viewed …show more content…
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and academics who write on children’s issues agree that this is the way we must view children with respect to citizenship, because children have a right to a legal identity and it’s a human right to be ‘registered’ at birth. The point of this view is to protect the rights of children and hold the state responsible for protecting their rights and recognizing their needs at every point of their development. This view on children as citizens connected back to class and to the concept of representation, if children don’t have a legitimate stake in politics how can they be accurately represented? The concept of representation became the key argument used by advocates for this …show more content…
Viewing children as citizens-in-the-making is the solution to the common assertion that people don’t just magically become well-rounded political citizens at a certain age nor are they born with the same political capacity as adults. How one acquires political beliefs and capacity is a process that requires life experience, education, and action along with assistance from others including schools, parents, and the state. Valuing the journey children take to becoming citizens is the best way to protect the rights of children and ensure they become politically active citizens. The points the author makes regarding the status of children promotes the ideals academics and children’s activists including the UNCRC push for. The thinkers and academic that have contributed to each of the three views on the status of children’s citizenship have one mutual end goal, they want young people to grow up to be politically educated and active citizens. This paper achieves its goal and proves that viewing children as citizens-in-the-making is the best and most efficient way of achieving the common