Editors’ Introduction to Rights of a Child Symposia
Introduction
The following articles were developed following an international conference held in March 2024 to mark the 35th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Institute of Social Ethics ISE and the University of Lucerne’s Center for Comparative Constitutional Law and Religion organized the two-day conference.
The conference aimed to explore the current landscape of children’s rights and explore needed reforms in the area. It did so by bringing together professionals and scholars across a host of disciplines, including ethics, law, medicine, philosophy, and theology. Attendees discussed—among other topics—how religious institutions, social media networks, media, and the growing parental rights movement affect discourse about the best interests of the child, as described in Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Editors of the N.Y.U. Review of Law and Social Change’s digital publication, The Harbinger, selected the following articles for their timeliness and creative approach to contemporary children’s rights issues. Together, they form a featured Rights of a Child section of this volume of The Harbinger. The articles include:
Emily Buss, How Do We Decide What is in Children’s Best Interests?……………………2
Roman Zinigrad, Parental Rights Are Wrong: Toward a Regulatory Model of Parental Authority in Education………………………………………………………………………………….14
Mary McAleese, The Rights of the Child in the Catholic Church…………………..…….23
Sara Rubinelli & Nicola Diviani, Safeguarding Childhood in the Digital Age: The Imperative of Digital Health Literacy to Combat Sharenting Risks…………………..….….39
Maria del Rocio Franch Oviedo, Participation Rights and Best Interests of the Child. Media Influence and Parental Advocacy in End-of-life Decisions………….……….…….……….….51
The Harbinger would also like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Zalman Rothschild, Assistant Professor of Law and the Horn Family Distinguished Research Scholar in Law and Religion at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, for facilitating the development of these articles.
Abigail Hoover and Suchait (Suchy) Kahlon
Digital Executive Editors
N.Y.U. Review of Law and Social Change
Suggested Reading
Participation Rights and Best Interests of the Child. Media Influence and Parental Advocacy in End-of-Life Decisions
By prioritizing the best interests of the child, the media can influence policy discourse, protect children’s dignity, and become catalysts for progress in creating a society that values the well-being and voice of its most vulnerable members.