Spring 2026
Children's Rights
Dates: January 21, 2026 - May 06, 2026Day/Time: Wednesday 8:00 AM - 09:30 AM EST
Level: 200-Level, 300-Level
Certificate: Human Rights
Instructor: Venera Urbaeva, American University of Central Asia
What do governments owe to children? And what rights do children have that are enforceable by law? Children face unique dangers. Millions annually succumb to preventable killer diseases such as malaria, measle and pneumonia; thousands more are subject to abandonment, abuse and trafficking, and children comprise about a third of the world’s war victims and refugees. One hundred years ago, English social reformer Eglantyne Jebb launched a campaign to assist the child victims of World War I. Her movement eventually grew into a vast Children’s Rights framework, with treaties and laws, non-governmental organizations and its own United Nations agency, UNICEF. The achievements of the Children’s Rights movement are numerous, including a global decline in child mortality, and a steep increase in access to education, even in the poorest countries. And yet wars, climate related disasters and dictatorial or capricious governments continue to pose threats to children’s wellbeing worldwide. In this course, students will be introduced to the major categories of human rights issues affecting children, and the system for monitoring and addressing them. They will also have an opportunity to develop their own advocacy strategy to promote awareness and policy options concerning an issue of their choosing, and present this in a mock meeting of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, a body of experts that monitors the realization of children’s rights around the world.
Credits: 3 US / 6 ECTS