Credit Points 10

Coordinator Meda Couzens Opens in new window

Description Children’s Rights: Local and International introduces students to the rights of children at domestic and international level. Students are introduced to the rationale and the development of children’s rights as well as the international and the Australian legal framework for their protection. Amongst the selected topics discussed in more detail are juvenile justice; families and child protection; First Nations children and the law; the exploitation of children; access to justice and governance (domestic and international) and the rights of children. The subject exposes students to multidisciplinary approaches to socio-legal issues and develops their analytical skills to help them conduct research that involves international and comparative legal materials. This subject can be taught either in a combination of onshore in Australia and offshore in a host country, or solely onshore in Australia. Students enrolled in the subject with an offshore component must be available to travel for two weeks to the host country. When no host country is available, this subject may be delivered wholly onshore (in Australia) only. Students will be advised whether there is an offshore component of study and the availability of a host country in advance of opportunities to enrol. When delivered offshore in a host country the teaching materials and tutorial activities will incorporate host country-specific issues and activities relevant to the topics covered in the subject. Offshore delivery integrated with host country specific delivery provides the students with an immersive international and comparative experience, which will enhance their ability critically to engage with Australian and international law relevant to the rights of children.

School Law

Discipline Law, Not Elsewhere Classified.

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 4 10cp

Check your fees via the Fees page.

Level Undergraduate Level 3 subject

Pre-requisite(s) LAWS 2004 Criminal Law AND
LAWS 2008 Government and Public Law

Restrictions

When the subject is delivered onshore (in Australia, at WSU campuses), no enrolment restrictions apply, but the students must have completed the pre-requisite subjects.

When the subject is delivered offshore, the subject is not available for self-select enrolment. Intake in the subject will be restricted to expressions of interest. GPA and progression in the program will be considered, and the pre-requisites must be met. Students must be able to travel to the offshore destination for a specified period of 2 weeks (The dates for the term of offer will be made available to students through the School of Law's regular communication channels).

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this subject, students will be able to:

1. Examine the historical, moral and legal foundation of children’s rights
2. Examine the domestic and international legal and institutional frameworks for the protection of the rights of children
3. Explain the multifaceted nature of children’s rights, their connections with other areas of law and the importance of multidisciplinarity for their protection
4. Analyse law and policy as it applies to children, including First Nations children
5. Integrate relevant international and comparative legal material on children’s rights

Subject Content

1. Development and theoretical aspects in relation to children’s rights
2. Introduction to the international framework for the protection of children’s rights (UN, regional systems, non-Western approaches)
3. Introduction to children’s rights protection in Australia (sources of children’s rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Australian law; main children’s rights challenges in Australia)
4. Children and criminal justice
5. Children, family and the state
6. The exploitation of children
7. Children and information technology
8. First Nations children and the law
9. Children and access to justice (domestic and international)
10. Governance (domestic and international) and the rights of children