Abstract:

This study aims to contribute to Turkish literature by compiling perspectives about human rights, children’s rights and human rights education that have wide recognition in English-spoken academic world. To this end, conceptual and theoretical clarifications are presented rather than holding a discussion around a particular argument. In the first part, the defining features of human rights are introduced, then some criticisms that are mounted against human rights are outlined. Next section gives information about the development, conceptualization, classification and current problems of human rights education, then moves to present the historical development of children’s rights and educational implications of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In this part, a checklist which was developed to evaluate educational conditions regarding children’s rights and identify negligence and violations, if there is any, is presented. By introducing a model which aims to improve the quality of children’s participation, what is exactly meant by children’s participation, what can be considered as participation and what cannot be regarded as such are clarified. The final part informs briefly about Turkey’s human rights education reforms and children’s rights issues by drawing on the reports of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. In addition, some solutions are suggested by relying on transformative human rights education approach which has a concern to strengthen human rights education’s link to social realities and social transformation. Compiled perspectives about human rights education and children’s rights can contribute to the theoretical and conceptual framework of studies to be conducted by Turkish-reading researchers.

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