Children`s rights concept in modern social and humanitarian discourse

Abstract

The objective of the paper is the discourse analysis of studies on rights of the child in humanitarian and social sciences. In the paper, the scientific discourse method – conceptual analysis – is employed. About 140 sources on children's rights within the subject field of philosophy, history, law, political and social sciences were used as the methodological material, and so were the regulatory, analytical and methodological data within the time span of 1999-2018. The research interests and priorities in studying the children's rights that are specific for each of the sciences have been outlined, as well as their contribution to the fulfillment of the human essence; enforcement of legal norms; protection of rights of the child in crisis periods of history; establishment of the mediation institution; and control of social relationships. The system-forming concepts in children's rights research have been identified: the social and cultural context of children's rights; children's rights and children's welfare, health and survival; the rights-based approach to categories of "excluded" and invisible children"; children's rights as an institution of legal socialization and legal culture; awareness raising and education in the sphere of human / children's rights. The scientific discourse on children's rights in the social and humanitarian knowledge conceptualizes and enriches new research paradigms in this field.