This special issue highlights the complexity, breadth, and range of topics pertaining to children’s rights as a social issue. The contributions included in this issue provide current theory and empirical research addressing the ways in which children and youth conceptualize their need for rights in contexts such as the family, school, community, and greater society. Additionally, the contributions address the implications this research has for policy and practice centered on the rights of children and youth in varying social contexts. As such this issue will be of interest to all those who advocate for young people in a variety of setting, as well as those whose work pertains to bettering the lives children and youth more generally.


Focuses on children’s and adolescents’ conceptions of their rights and responsibilities.

Articles utilize the best developmental science and theoretical frameworks to address the tensions and complexities of children’s rights both locally and globally