Children's councils implementation : a path toward recognition ?

On the basis of research data, mainly collected between 2005 and 2009 (Malatesta and Palazzo 2005; Malatesta et al. 2006; Malatesta and Golay 2010), Dominique Golay and Dominique Malatesta discuss in this chapter the opportunities and hindrances that result from councils implementation in order to show whether certain devices lead to children’s empowerment and social recognition. Social recognition being a key aspect of political justice (according to Honneth 1995), they assess here the value of councils as a mean to sustain a sensible implementation of articles 12 and 13 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations 1989) considering in particular the way inequalities are dealt with. Thus, from their point of view, children’s rights implementation goes beyond learning about formal rights and procedures to give birth to a concrete experience of rights. To do so, three variables are considered: (1) the role the institution plays in defining the frame and the goals of the participation processes; (2) the opportunities and the barriers that stem from councils implementation, including class and gender inequalities, rules and norms; (3) the sense of belonging the councils create.

Résumé : Emilie Pasquier

Cette publication est issue de la recherche : "L'enfant dans la Cité. Enjeux de reconnaissance, enjeux de citoyenneté, enjeux de travail social. Les "tweens" (9-12 ans) à Lausanne et Bussigny" (7050).